Anti-Recession Tactics
Thursday, February 18, 2010 | 3:04 pmThe 2009 recession lingers on and on and on. While consumer spending is at the steepest decline since 1980, IT and business leaders are feeling sort of dismal. “In 42 years of retailing, we’ve never seen such difficult times for the consumer,” said Best Buy president Brian Dunn. Since 70% of America’s economy is driven by consumer purchases, there is some anxiety from economists that we’re simply not manufacturing enough or producing sufficient wealth. Whether America will remain a “superpower” or not is yet to be seen, but company executives can ensure their businesses lead the tide out of the downturn by following these anti-recession tactics.
The most important of all anti-recession tactics is to understand the new problems your customers face and offer them innovative solutions. The most successful businesses are ones that can save customers money, make their lives less stressful and offer more value. For instance, one company developed a fast-curing resin to maximize productivity for injection-molding machines; yet, when the recession happened and greater output was no longer needed, the company switched gears and developed a less expensive, slower-curing resin, which was ultimately profitable. “We can’t add meat to a burger anymore,” admits CKE marketing chief Brad Haley, who oversees the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr franchises. When times are tough, executives need to be more creative. He adds, “Carl’s Jr. is promoting a guacamole bacon cheeseburger. Avocados are a less expensive topping.”
One of the anti-recession tactics that many businesses fail to do is to keep investing in the core. One thing you cannot afford to do is let critical components of your business — like product innovation and customer service — fall by the wayside. When these dark days are over, you want your company to emerge like a butterfly out of its cocoon; you want people to say, “Even though the economy’s doing bad, this company seems to be faring well… look at all they’re doing!” Companies that stagnate now can never compete later. “We’re not going to cut innovation,” Intuit’s Brad Smith tells CNN Money Magazine. “This company, for 25 years, has been fueled by new-product innovation. We’re protecting the innovation pipeline so we come out of this strong.”
In the past, anti-recession tactics used to be to take the business overseas. Yet, as time goes by, the wage gap in China, Malaysia, Thailand and India is rapidly shrinking as these emerging superpowers begin to gain momentum. Manufacturing costs, taxes, tariffs, speed, marketing training and transition expenses can all rack up the expenses. That doesn’t mean that executives shouldn’t recruit for the best talent, however. Now, with so many diligent worker bees out on the market, it’s a good time to weed out the non-performers and replace them with top talent. Mel Stark of the Hay Group consulting firm says that the best companies go the extra mile to reward their “most focused and driven employees” — recession or not.
Jeremy Larson is a foremost expert in the natural cures for acid reflux. He has had extensive experience and conducted countless experiments in finding its cure. He is also a highly acclaimed writer in the medical field and you can find out more at remedyforacidreflux.com.
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(posted in Uncategorized | tagged 2009 recession, anti-recession tactics, business recession, offline marketing campaigns, recession)
Small Business Recession Tips
Monday, February 8, 2010 | 4:18 amThe ailing economy has many small business owners reassessing their position within their industries. When every dollar counts, CEOs can no longer throw money at this idea and that; they must focus on what’s working and correct what’s not. Stu Richards, CEO of Bredin Business Information, says that 56% of newsletter recipients said they received information relevant to their industries, so now is a good time to do a little research to find out if you’re delivering what people want. Similarly, Bob Johnson, VP of IDG Connect, found that only 42% of buyers said that educational and promotional content they received was relevant to their needs. Small business owners need to look at their homepage statistics as well and see if there are any “conversion killers.” Read on for more recession tips that can help you reach success in any economy.
At the 2009 MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Summit, there were several recession tips and recommendations to help small business entrepreneurs weather the storm. The first tip was to “re-engage old leads.” According to Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch, research reveals that 80% of all leads marketers generate are discarded, lost or ignored. Sending your sales team out to find new leads all the time can be a grueling, tiresome practice — and an expensive one! Instead, you can use marketing newsletters and social networking sites to re-engage and reinvigorate potential contacts. Caroll adds that emailing relevant industry articles to old leads and following up by phone generated a 375% increase in conversions. One marketer said his team achieved a 44% increase in subscribers by offering a news announcement and prize. “If you want to make a difference in the fourth quarter this year, go back to what you did in the first quarter of this year or the fourth quarter of last year, and there’s a lot of opportunity there,” Carroll said.
While you consider these recession tips, it’s important that you keep your chin up and look for new ways to connect with shoppers. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of online shoppers who “abandon” their shopping carts will return in 1-2 days to actually purchase, found security firm McAfee in a recent study. Moreover, their study found that businesses with better brand recognition saw shorter turn around times. Veteran shoppers will buy sooner than newcomers. Merchants selling unique merchandise see quicker turnarounds, compared to highly competitive offerings. Novel products and services that are suspected to be overpriced will sit on the e-shelf for longer as well. Lower priced items also move much more quickly, the study found. Therefore, it’s important to create your marketing campaigns with these ideas in mind.
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(posted in Uncategorized | tagged 2009 recession, anti-recession tactics, business recession, offline marketing campaigns, recession)
Money Saving Tips
Saturday, January 16, 2010 | 6:24 pmWhether you live in costly California or inexpensive Iowa, you can benefit from money saving tips aimed at helping you get the most bang for your buck during the recession. It’s not quite like the seventies, where we had to limit our driving due to insane gas prices; and it’s not quite like the forties, where we’re rationing out food. However, there are probably some money-draining activities that you don’t even know about, even though they’re affecting your budget as we speak! Naturally, there is no substitute for bringing in more money, so if you need to take a second job, start a home based business on the side, or change your stock market investment portfolio, then by all means do it. Once you have a steady stream of income arriving, you can then focus your efforts on saving nickels and dimes elsewhere in your budget. However, in some cases, consumers must start with cutting expenses because it’s this hemorrhaging of finances that is the source of their unhappiness.
“Getting organized” tops the list of money saving tips because, without organization, you can’t get anywhere. Many consumers end up paying late fees, reactivation charges, interest and penalties all because they missed a due date when their papers got shuffled into a pile. Not surprisingly, “Getting Organized” was right up there with “Losing Weight” for Top New Year’s Resolutions in 2009. A quick stop at Office Depot to buy a $30 filing cabinet is a great way to get started. You might want to have hanging files of different bills (credit card, car loan, taxes, utilities, mortgage, etc) and you might want to demarcate a section for “unpaid bills.” Next, invest in accounting software like Myelopes, Quicken or Microsoft Money. Why test out your amateur mathematician skills when you can use a computer’s expert accuracy every time to ensure no mistakes are made on your annual budget? You’ll find all your financial information is neatly filed and printable for your convenience. These programs can even remind you to pay bills, allow you to check your finances online, track your purchases and lets you know how much you have left to spend in each category based on the initial budget you set up!
The second money saving tips is to scrutinize your expenses. You can easily make up a spreadsheet on your computer to list all expenses, including restaurant excursions, entertainment, groceries, movie rentals, clothing, gas, electricity, hydro, mortgage, cable, cell phone, internet, credit card payments, gifts, alcohol, etc. It can be a real eye-opener to see where all your hard-earned money goes! Your plan of attack should be to add up all your monthly “must’s” (things like rent/mortgage, utilities, transportation, credit payments) and subtract it from your monthly earnings. This will give you an idea of how much money you have to play with. Then you should divide that number by 4 to see what you can afford to divvy up each week. Then you can prioritize where your cash is best spent. Also, be sure you’re saving up a safety cushion of at least $2,000 to $5,000 to protect you in case of an emergency!
Some of the best money saving tips come from notoriously frugal families. The Economides Family consists of seven individuals who have somehow managed to live off just $35,000 per year! To save money on food, they meticulously plan out their food menus each week and adhere to the plan. They also cook just a few days a month and freeze everything else for a quick reheat, which costs them $350/month. They believe in hunting down bargains at the store, coupon clipping and negotiating prices, whenever possible. They get their clothes from consignment shops and thrift stores, buy used furniture, cut their own hair and rent free movies from the library. Anything they earn beyond their monthly budget gets divvied up into a house fund (to cover repairs), a fun account (for vacations) and a charity account. The Economides also never use credit cards! While this lifestyle may sound extreme, you may want to check out some of their money tips at www.homeeconomiser.com.
Rene Lacape can help you with all your insurance needs. May it be personal or corporate accounts he can answer all your deepest questions with clarity. All you have to do is get a hold of his contact information and start the deal with him. You will be satisfied for sure.
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(posted in Uncategorized | tagged 2009 recession, anti-recession tactics, business recession, offline marketing campaigns, recession)
Supporting Businesses
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 | 5:38 pmFor most people, the 2009 recession is depressing. However, a number of supporting businesses are popping up to help larger companies out of their slump. These little “think tanks” can provide fresh ideas that can be the catalyst to new earnings and savings. Often times, they can provide sales and marketing training to give teams the tools they need to succeed. They provide analytics assessments that can show a business owner exactly what’s working and what’s not working in terms of marketing strategy. They can link a company up with social networking, web copy, website design and e-commerce marketing strategies. Here’s a look at some of the top new startups.
Hiring a supporting businesses firm to cover your marketing campaigns can be a real money-saver in some cases too. Many company leaders want to take their offline advertising efforts and put them online but don’t know the first thing about pay-per-click, affiliate marketing, keyword optimization, social networking and e-commerce marketing. An outside firm can provide you with all these services, with tips on how to move forward, or will even come to your business and present training workshops for your staff members to bring them up to speed. With today’s competitive environment, there’s no room for dinosaurs!
Search engine optimization (SEO) is another area where supporting businesses thrive. Every homepage internet design should have searchable keywords, image tags and web copy that attracts visitors to the site. Professional SEO experts use a variety of analytic programs that let them know what industry-related terms people are looking up, what the most competitive search terms are and what words are best incorporated into a business’s homepage. By effectively designing your homepage with these factors in mind, your site will become a magnet for web traffic, thus increasing sales. Of course, some webpages have fundamental problems that send prospective clients fleeing. An SEO expert can let you know how many people are visiting, what pages they’re looking at, how long they’re browsing, which pages are sending clients elsewhere and where these dissatisfied visitors are going next. This research can be invaluable to a business.
According to a Study by The Kauffman Foundation, these new supporting businesses are crucial to economic recovery during the recession. Job creation and innovation are at the forefront of every successful economy, the study found. “Seventy-nine percent of Americans say entrepreneurs are critically important to job creation, ranking higher than big business, scientists and government,” the report stated. It seems that a recession does not have a significant impact on the formation and survival of new businesses as new startups increase.
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(posted in Uncategorized | tagged 2009 recession, anti-recession tactics, business recession, offline marketing campaigns, recession)
Growing Business During A Recession
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 | 11:14 amAccording to Rhonda Abrams at the Hartford Business Journal, there are several tips for growing business during a tight economy. First, keep your marketing campaigns and forget about cutting your advertising budget. While you may move funds around, your focus should be on remaining visible. Second, hire the “best of the best.” With so many employees losing their jobs through no fault of their own, you’ll have the pick of the litter. Third, look for the dissatisfied customers who feel the bigger companies are not meeting their needs.
It was the year 2000. Silicon Valley was launching a new high-tech startup everyday. Business parks sprung up and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that something transformative was taking place. Meanwhile, two buddies — Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan — were making market plans as well… only theirs had investors laughing, rather than shelling out cash. Even though no one was biting on the concept of neatly-packaged, environmentally-conscious soap and hygiene products, they knew they could appeal to a younger, hipper audience with their products and give giants like Proctor and Gamble a run for their money. For Lowry and Ryan, growing business is about doing it yourself to save precious cash (like mixing soaps in bathtubs and bottling it themselves); it’s about continuously selling your concept to your vendors and other venture capitalists; it’s about constantly fundraising. As Ryan says, “The hungriest wolves hunt best.”
Google is the epitome of a company that thinks outside the box. With 19,786 full-time employees working in the “Googleplex” and more than $21 billion in revenue, it’s hard to imagine that this internet startup was growing business during the post-dot-com years — acquiring other small businesses, securing venture capital and working partnerships. Despite the temptation to put up irritating (but money-generating) banner ads on their site, the Google visionaries stuck to their original vision. While other companies were slashing their employee perks, those working in the Googleplex were enjoying limitless snacks, ping pong tournaments, casual dress code, a company recreation area and corporate flex time. By creating innovative marketing campaigns and quickly becoming a respected leader in an under-developed niche, Google became the trusted authority for online searches.
We can compare growing business to the most successful commercial real estate ventures. While many overpriced condos, shopping malls and plazas fall to foreclosure or a state of disuse and disrepair, there is still one type of building that’s doing quite well. “Mixed use” buildings are the way of the future, architects tell us. People crave having all the amenities just steps from where they live, so why not combine living space, hotel space, shopping outlets, service centers (like banks, post offices, hair salons, etc), music clubs, restaurants, movie theaters and fitness centers all into one attractive epicenter? To make this space feel more “homey,” developers throw in walking and biking trails, greenery, dog parks, playgrounds, park benches, water features and community meeting centers. Similarly, the best marketing strategies during a recession are ones that make use of all different avenues of advertising (both online and offline marketing) and offer a diverse line of products or services.
Jeremy Larson is a foremost expert in acid reflux wedge. His work has been extensively published in various online publications in this area. For more information on the treatment for acid reflux, visit remedyforacidreflux.com.
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(posted in Uncategorized | tagged 2009 recession, anti-recession tactics, business recession, offline marketing campaigns, recession)
Top Internet Business Start-Ups
Monday, January 4, 2010 | 7:56 amWhen the recession hit, many of us watched the skyrocketing unemployment claims and thought, “Wow, I’m glad that’s not me!” Yet, here you are — through no fault of your own — unemployed, confused and lost. Perhaps you worked for the same employer for years and never thought you’d end up in this position. Or perhaps you just got your job, saw that light at the end of the tunnel, and now feel disillusioned. These unexpected events left many Americans searching for a way to carve out their own piece of the American Dream and never rely on a boss to pay them again. It’s true; it’s a great time to start an internet business if you know what you’re doing, of course. Here are some thoughts on how to proceed.
There are many different types of internet business ventures to consider. Some people prefer to go with what they know. Brent Bouchez, David Page and Nancy McNally all worked for top-tier ad agencies before forming their own marketing company targeting consumers 50 and older. Michelle DeAngelis worked at Bank of America for 15 years before branching off to do her own private consulting. By contrast, some internet business entrepreneurs decided to forego their past identities and follow a particular pursuit or passion. Ali Galgano transitioned from a corporate recruiter at Goldman Sachs to a seller of unique costume jewelry. Kelly Elvin went from being a corporate lawyer to a dog trainer. What matters most is that your home based business is something about which you are knowledgeable and passionate.
If you are wondering if you have what it takes to be your own boss and run an internet business from home, then you may be interested in the most recent Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation survey of 549 company owners. Based on the responses, EMKF found that there were some typical traits associated with entrepreneurs. Most come from upper-lower or middle classes, performed well in school and obtained at least a bachelor’s degree (only 5% did not). Just over half the company founders were the first in their families to launch a business. Three-quarters of all respondents said they worked for another company for 6-10 years before branching out on their own. Many of these business owners were the middle child in a three-child household and are currently married with kids. These are people who are, by and large, motivated to build wealth and capitalize on a great idea.
Ray Gaines, entrepreneur and author of Start Your Own Business, says that it usually takes about six months to get an internet business up and running, but it’s certainly worth the time and effort. “Surprisingly, a recession can provide opportunities for business startups, particularly as the proverbial green shoots appear and the wheels of industry start to churn again,” he says. “When the recovery begins, people and companies start to spend and look for suppliers. Those new businesses that have made their names known through good marketing during the downturn will be noticed.”
Jeremy Larson is a foremost expert in the natural acid reflux cure. He has had extensive experience and conducted countless experiments in finding natural remedy for acid reflux. He is also a highly acclaimed writer in the medical field.
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(posted in Uncategorized | tagged 2009 recession, anti-recession tactics, business recession, offline marketing campaigns, recession)
Small Business Startup Advice
Thursday, December 31, 2009 | 12:59 pmAs layoffs mount, the number of small business start-ups is on the rise too. According to research by Rob Fairlie, professor of economics and finance at the University of California at Santa Cruz (on behalf of the Kauffman Foundation), an average of 3.4 million new businesses were launched on average in the U.S. each year between 1996 and 2006. In 2007, that number jumped to 3.9 million. While 2008 figures haven’t been released, even more new entrepreneurs seem to be taking the plunge. “I have absolutely seen an uptick in the number of people who are attempting to start businesses of their own since the start of this recession,” says Janet Siegenthaler, a start-up consultant based in Fairfield, Conn. Before you liquidate your 401(k), check what these 10 recession-born entrepreneurs–many of whom have not yet posted a profit–had to say about starting businesses in the last 18 grueling months.
Sometimes it’s hard to predict where you’ll find your niche, so it’s a good idea to create a small business startup that encompasses a couple of different areas. For example, Dan Wiley, a 48-year-old first time entrepreneur, started a Los Angeles based firm that provides a range of services from public relations and advertising to branding and internet design. “I never expected we would be doing as much website designing as we have been, and that so few customers would be looking for our public relations services,” Wiley admits. His advice to aspiring innovators is to save up a year’s worth of operating capital to cushion the blow, should things not work out as anticipated.
“It’s been harder to find quality investors,” admits Charisse McAuliffe, the 31-year-old head of GenGreen, a database of over 45,000 green businesses and organizations. She finally made her dreams come true with her $250,000 in savings and an additional $750,000 from angel and private investors. “Now that we’re up and running, I’m getting as many as 10 solicitations per day, but for the most part they’re not viable options,” she says. With National Geographic and News Corp purchasing some of her content, this home based business is really soaring! She recommends that you check out tools like www.angelsoft.net, a social networking site for aspiring entrepreneurs and angel investors.
Sometimes even $500,000 in venture capital funding just isn’t enough for your small business to achieve what you had hoped. “Our target audience just [didn't] have the funds to start experimenting with new software,” said Kimber Lockhart (22), who is marketing a software program that allows users to edit documents within an internet browser, without downloading anything. The only way to survive the early years of your market plans is to have a talented, dedicated team of professionals working with you. She adds, “In a start-up environment, the people are everything, so get out there and recruit the best.”
Beth Kaminski is the leading expert in the field of treatment for anxiety attacks and treatment for anxiety attacks. For more information on tips to stop these attacks as well as how to deal with panic attacks, visit her site today.
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(posted in Uncategorized | tagged 2009 recession, anti-recession tactics, business recession, offline marketing campaigns, recession)
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