How Often Should You Advertise? The Answer May Surprise You

Contributed By Jimmy Kohut

What are people actually thinking about as they “see" your ad? Thomas Smith, a nineteenth-century London businessman, offered the following advice to advertisers in 1885. It is still applicable today.

1. The first time people look at any given ad they don’t even see it.
   
   
2. The second time, they don’t notice it.
   
   
3. The third time, they are aware that it is there.
   
   
4. The fourth time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.
   
   
5. The fifth time, they actually read the ad.
   
   
6. The sixth time, they thumb their nose at it.
   
   
7. The seventh time, they start to get a little irritated with it.
   
   
8. The eighth time, they start to think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”
   
   
9. The ninth time, they start to wonder if they may be missing out on something.
   
   
10. The tenth time, they ask their friends and neighbours if they tried it.
    
    
11. The eleventh time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
    
    
12. The twelfth time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
    
    
13. The thirteenth time, they start to feel the product has value.
    
    
14. The fourteenth time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
    
    
15. The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
    
    
16. The sixteenth time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
    
    
17. The seventeenth time, they make a note to buy the product.
    
    
18. The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
    
    
19. The nineteenth time, they count their money very carefully.
    
    
20. The twentieth time prospects see the ad, they buy what it is offering. In other words, if your ad campaign isn’t showing a return after six weeks, don’t give up hope!
    

Published in Networking Today, January 2006.

The Merits of BS (Backup Solutions)

By Dino Achilleos

Backup solutions are often overlooked by small businesses. Big or small, all businesses rely on their data including documents, correspondence, accounting information, contacts, and product information.

Most small businesses use electronic tools daily…in fact, you’re using one now by reading this article on the Internet or via email. Every day people write letters, information sheets, and create content for Web sites. Or they produce intricate presentations for potential clients that generate sales. Company bookkeepers log hours recording data. And the common thread in all these activities is that they all use a computer – and store the data on their systems.

When your work is done and on the computer…what could possibly be an issue? What could go wrong and cause problems for you and your business? If you didn’t create a backup, there are a number of events that could lead to the ultimate end of your business. Some of the most common reasons for recovering data from a backup are:

• Fire
  
  
• Theft
  
  
• Hardware failure (often due to age)
  
  
• Electrical surge
  
  
• Viruses, spyware, malware
  
  
• Component failure that does not render your data damaged, such as a non-functioning video card (it’s hard to work on your computer when you can’t see what you’re doing)
  

So, what is the ultimate solution to these and many other issues that can creep up on businesses that don’t take adequate measures to protect their data?

A backup solution of course!

You need to consider what you need to backup? I’ve touched on most of the items that are important to businesses, but also consider:

• Emails
• Addresses/Address Book/Contact Manager Data
• Bookmarks
• Financials
• Documents (ones you create and especially ones you receive from other sources, including quotes/invoices/forms/surveys/correspondence) · Anything that was created by or for you that would require your time, energy, and/or money to re-create
• Driver disks for your hardware such as printers, scanners, cameras, etc.
  
• Software applications that you use, whether store bought or downloaded from the Web
• A “snapshot” of your correctly configured computer system, with all the applications you use installed and peripherals setup the way you like them
  

Traditionally, organizations invested large sums of money in data backup solutions by purchasing tape drives, software, and tapes. Just ten years ago the cost of implementing an effective backup solution would have cost more than $1500 for a single desktop computer. Today, with common technology such as CD or DVD burners, backup solutions can be in place for less than $300, and replacement media costs are a couple of dollars as opposed to $30-$50. There are a number of solutions using today’s technology to make backup as easy and painless as recording your favourite television show so you can enjoy it later.

An inexpensive, but far from perfect solution is to collect the data you want to keep and burn it to a CD, DVD, or any other piece of removable media. For the most part you’ll have to hunt for things like your mail box, contacts, and bookmarks. You’ll also need to remember where your accounting package keeps its data and export specific parts of the Windows registry if you want the most protection you can get.

Backup software is recommended for these tasks to minimize the amount of interaction and therefore provide no variation from one backup to the next. Some solutions can be configured to run unattended, during lunch for example, or for users who don’t have a consistent schedule a desktop icon will run the backup at the click of a mouse. This solution requires the computer user to insert a CD before the process starts and to store it afterwards in a safe location.

Other backup solutions require no interaction. The data is backed up to a second hard disk either in the same computer system or another computer on the network (if there is one). This solution does not provide protection against fire, theft, or any type of physical damage or loss.

For this protection, you must connect an external backup device before the backup starts and then disconnect it and store in a safe place once the backup is complete.

The simpler your back up system is, the more likely it’s going to get done regularly. After all, how much data can your business afford to lose?

Dino Achilleos is the owner of Red Box Computer Solutions, London, Ontario, and can be reached at (519) 851-9434 or by emailing dino@redboxpc.com.

Published in Networking Today, January 2006.

Rut Busters: Changing Your Trade Show Routine

By Susan A. Friedmann, CSP

Routine is comfortable. We like knowing what we’re going to do, when we’re going to do it, and what we’ll be wearing while we do it. It’s nice, safe and predictable. There are no surprises, no unforeseen contingencies, and no upsets.

There is also no growth, no excitement, and no spontaneity. Routines can easily become ruts, especially at a trade show. It’s very easy to do, especially if you always go to the same shows, display in the same location, use the same graphics and literature, and go through the same sales spiel. It might seem effective. It’ll definitely be comfortable.

It’s also one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Exhibiting is, by its very nature, is a constantly evolving art. To be successful, you need to embrace what is new and exciting. It requires pushing boundaries.

If you’re comfortable, you’re not trying hard enough. Worse, you’re running a very real risk: The risk of boring trade show attendees with your booth.

People have a split second attention span. If you’re not presenting something new, exciting, and engaging, to draw them in, most attendees are going to assume they already know what you have to offer and pass you by. When attendees walk right by your booth without giving it a second look, that’s the same as having sales’ dollars flying right out the window.

There are five easy steps to break out of a rut.

1. Realize the difference between branding and routine.
   
   Doing the same exact thing the same exact way time after time after time is NOT branding. Careful and intelligent placement of logos, consistent use of colour, and overall design are all elements of branding. Look at McDonalds – they have one of the strongest brands on the planet, yet have changed looks, catch phrases, uniforms and menus over the years. Take a close look at your branding efforts. Are they serving your marketing message, or are you simply repeating yourself?
   
   
2. Step outside your industry Great ideas come from unexpected sources.
   
   I’ve gotten some of my best exhibit ideas from the retail world, where they carefully study the impact of colour, music, and even temperature upon shoppers. Examine what motivates people to buy products that are very different from your own. What makes someone buy a motorcycle? Yogurt? Sleeping bags? Each of these items requires a different strategy, with many complex elements. Perhaps some of these elements would work well in your exhibit.
   
   Remember, it’s never a good idea to simply “cut and paste” elements from one advertising campaign onto your own. Catch phrases, graphics, and imagery may be copyrighted or proprietary. You want to expand your business, not enter litigation! Instead, analyze what makes a particular element work for you, and see how you can adapt it to meet your own business needs.
   
   
3. Get a fresh set of eyes
   
   Have someone who is in no way related to the trade show industry or your company look at your exhibit. What do they notice first? What impression do they get of your company? What emotions do your graphics evoke? Record their impressions and compare how they measure up to your marketing objectives.
   
   Many times we have looked at our own exhibits so many times that we don’t “see” them anymore. This fresh set of eyes will be viewing your booth the same way the attendees do – with no foreknowledge or preconceived notions of how the exhibit is “supposed” to look.
   
   
4. Change up your teams
   
   Just because Fred, Ethel, Murray, and Zane have ALWAYS been your trade show team does not mean they always have to be. Take a careful look at your staff. Who is personable and professional, with excellent product knowledge, strong sales skills, and enthusiasm? Send that person to the trade show. Sending one new person to a show can create a new dynamic, sending a whole new team guarantees you’ll get anything but a routine performance.
   
   No matter who you send, make sure that all staff members are trained. Old-hands need to refresh their skillsand rookies need to acquire them!
   
   
5. Call in wardrobe
   
   Something as simple as changing clothes can totally alter a booth staff’s performance. If they’ve been wearing business attire, consider switching to a more casual yet coordinated look. Have the booth staff break out the suits and ties. You’ll be amazed how differently they carry themselves and interact with attendees.
   
   Uniforms and logo clothing are particularly appropriate for some industries. For example, shippers world wide know UPS by their distinctive brown attire. If this is the case with your company, make sure that the uniform shows up at the trade show. In addition to your booth staff, make sure the uniform makes an appearance in graphics and literature to reinforce the image association in attendee’s minds.
   

Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting, and training. For a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week, email: susan@thetradeshowcoach.com. Web site: www.thetradeshowcoach.com

Published in Networking Today, January 2006.

New Survey Shows That Few Organizations Understand Employee Retention

By Barbara Bartlein

As the boomers plan retirement and there is a projected worker shortage, a new comprehensive study by Spherion Corporation indicates that many employers aren’t taking the steps necessary to retain existing employees or attract top talent from a shrinking worker pool.

Spherion’s 2005 Emerging Workforce Study surveyed a nationally representative sample of U.S. companies and employees and found a serious disconnect between employers and workers on important workplace issues. They differ on the critical issues affecting retention, such as training and development and work/life balance. The study found that less than one in five employers is positioned for the future to recruit and retain top talent.

According to the Emerging Workforce Study:

• Only 34% of HR managers mention turnover/retention as a key HR concern.
  
• 60% of workers rate time and flexibility as a key factor in retention, but only 35% of employers feel the same.
  
• Only 49% of employers rate money as an important issue in retention but 69% of workers believe it is.
  
• Nearly 40% of U.S. employees intend to find a new job in the next 12 months, but employers expect only 14% of their workforce to leave in the next year.
  

One of the biggest gaps between employers and employees is the importance workers place on the balance between their professional and personal lives. In a previous study in 2003, 96% of employees agreed that an employer was more attractive when it helped them meet family responsibilities through flextime, work at home options, telecommuting, and job sharing. Yet only 24% of employers offer a formal flex-time program, only 12% offer telecommuting, and 11% offer job sharing.

The results are of concern as the new emerging workforce is very different than the traditional workforce that many employers have had for many years. There is a new breed of American worker who is confident, self-reliant, and has a different set of workplace values and expectations about work and life. They are much more focused on the importance of balance and family time. This growing group currently represents about 31% of workers today and is expected to be the majority of employees by 2007. Many experts are predicting that the more traditionally minded workers will dwindle to near extinction in the next few years.

Yet, the Spherion Workforce study found that only 19% of employers have the progressive mindset, HR approaches and policies to attract and retain top talent for the future. The traditional employers, representing 33% of all employers, have dated views on retention and focus little on the issues of time, flexibility or opportunities for growth.

The employers who are best positioned for the future:

• Offer work/life balance programs, training and educational opportunities, and other options to retain employees.
  
• Frequently survey employees to identify specific retention issues that need to be addressed.
  
• Hire the right mix of full-time, part-time, and contingent resources that assist in building appropriate staffing levels during business fluctuations.
  
• Utilize HR practices that emphasize individual employee growth and offer flexibility in the workplace.
  

To build customer loyalty, you must have loyal employees. Employee loyalty is built when it is clear that the employer is concerned about employees both professionally and personally. Workers are encouraged to find the employment options that help them balance their responsibilities at work and at home. They are mentored by management to achieve their potential and maximize their talents. They are urged to participate in training and education that will advance their career and build their life.

Frequently I am asked by employers, “But what if I train an employee and then he leaves?” To which I answer, “What if you don’t, and he stays?”

Sign up for Barbara's FREE email newsletter at www.barbbartlein.com.

Barbara Bartlein is the PeoplePro™. She helps businesses sell more goods and services by developing people. She can be reached at 888-747-9953, by email at barb@barbbartlein.com or visit her Web site at www.ThePeoplePro.com. Published in Networking Today, January 2006.

Adversity Gives You Strength

By John Boe

How can you stay self-motivated and productive in the midst of turbulent times and a sluggish economy? How do you persevere as a salesperson when times are tough and customers seem to be holding on to every penny in fear of economic uncertainty?

Every challenge, setback, and personal difficulty you encounter in life also brings with it the seed of equivalent or greater benefit! The key to overcoming adversity is to avoid the temptation of panic and instead, focus on finding the greater benefit. Adversity will never leave you where it found you; it will either strengthen your character or weaken your resolve.

During the early years of WW II Nazi submarines, operating in wolf packs, roamed the frigid waters of the North Atlantic with impunity sinking an alarming number of British military and merchant ships. Hitler was confident that his U-boats could blockade England and eventually starve the British people into submission.

In the summer of 1940, while the Battle of Britain was being played out over London, the Germans unmercifully sank over 300 British military and merchant ships. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, fearing the negative impact these devastating losses might have on the nation's morale, ordered the information withheld from the public. In an effort to reduce the appalling number of casualties lost at sea, Churchill instructed the British Royal Navy to begin a study to determine what, if anything, could be done to save more lives during sea rescue.

While interviewing the survivors an interesting discovery was made. To their complete astonishment, the researchers noted that the survival rate for the younger, presumably more physically fit sailors was remarkably lower when compared to their older shipmates. The study concluded that the older sailors had a significantly higher survival rate due to the fact that they had overcome more adversity and therefore, had developed greater confidence in being rescued than the younger, less experienced sailors.

The head of the research project, Kurt Hahn, was so moved by this discovery that he created the Outward Bound program. Hahn designed the Outward Bound program, utilizing a series of progressively rugged challenges, to mentally and physically prepare young British sailors to cope with the adversity of naval combat. Today, the Outward Bound program works with troubled youth to help them develop greater confidence and self-image.

I find it interesting that people faced with similar adversity often experience remarkably different outcomes. Some people become weakened, some become hardened, and some become stronger. If you place a carrot, an egg, and a coffee bean into a pot of boiling water, each reacts in a completely different manner to their conditions. The carrot goes into the boiling water firm and comes out soft; the egg goes in fragile and comes out hardened; while the coffee bean turns the hot water into coffee by releasing its flavor and aroma!

Selling in these challenging times demands determination and personal fortitude. Having the will to persevere when times are tough is a characteristic commonly found among self-made millionaires. Are you a quitter? The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed or did you fail because you stopped trying?

Thomas Edison documented 10,000 failed attempts to develop the electric light bulb. A reporter asked the great inventor how it felt to have failed 10,000 times trying to invent the light bulb. Edison responded, "Young man, I didn't fail 10,000 times trying to invent the light bulb, I simply documented 10,000 ways that it wouldn't work." Imagine how different our world would be today if Edison had been a quitter.

You must expect to encounter detours, roadblocks, and potholes of adversity along the road of life. The next time you are faced with adversity, learn from it and know that you are becoming a much stronger person because of it!

John Boe presents a variety of training and motivational programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer to the platform. His programs are unique, consistently well received, and get results. Visit www.johnboe.com for more information. Published in Networking Today, January 2006.

We Are Customers to Each Other

By Nancy Friedman

Here are six steps to help you be sure you’re paying attention to the “lost customer,” the internal one – the person you work with every day. Keep these by your desk and learn them step-by-step. You’ll be glad you did.

1. Know the Mission of Your Organization and YOUR Role. Those of us who are in a small department of a large company often times miss the big picture. If you don’t know the Mission of your organization – ask for it. Keep it at your desk. You’ll start to understand the “why” of many things you’re asked to do. It’ll help you with that big picture. Your role is important…no matter what you do. Someone is depending on you and what you’re working on for the company. You just may not be aware of how much you’re needed.
   
   
2. Internal Service is Everyone’s Responsibility. This includes management. Internal customer service isn’t just for the worker bees. It’s for everyone. If management isn’t doing their part, often times the entire customer service program can go out the window. No double standards. Internal customer service is for EVERYONE. As we say at Telephone Doctor, “It starts at the top.”
   
   
3. Respect Employee Differences. Cub Fan? Sox Fan? Republican? Democrat? Rock Music? Classical? Whatever. Just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t make you right. Differences are crucial for an organization. Differences are the key to understanding people. If everyone thought the same way, most of us wouldn’t be needed. Don’t argue just because a co-worker isn’t doing it the way you do; or thinking the way you do. Learn to respect them for what they do. That’s why we have chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Learn to disagree without being disagreeable.
   
   
4. Recognize the Personal Space of Others. Simply put…this boils down to the “Golden Rule.” Those who can work with a radio playing music may disturb others around them who aren’t able to concentrate. Loud voices around someone who’s on the phone with an external customer can be annoying also. If you’re in a cubicle or a sharing area, recognize there are others around you. Be sensitive to their wishes, too.
   
   
5. Work to Resolve Conflicts. Who hasn’t had “words” with another employee? Perhaps they weren’t kind words. Or maybe you and a co-worker strongly disagree on a project or idea. Not trying to make it work can only lead to more stress and frustration. Work it out. Even if you need to call in a mediator…another co-worker or someone not involved and who can keep an open mind. I doubt that you’ll need a professional negotiator, but someone from HR or another trusted employee can usually be of help on conflict resolution.
   
   
6. Show Appreciation. I saved this for last so you’ll remember it. Everyone wants to be appreciated and you can show you care with a genuine “Thank You.” It can be a note, phone call, or just stopping by an office and telling someone they did a great job or that you enjoy working with them. This makes a huge difference in internal relationships. There are surveys upon surveys that show how much a genuine pat on the back of appreciation is thought of as a welcomed non-monetary reward.
   

Internal customer service is critically important to everyone – including your external customers. Yet many companies pay big time attention to customer service for their external customers and the internal folks sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

Stop today – right now – and turn to someone in your office and tell them, “I enjoy working with you.” It’ll start the New Year off right!


Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the website at www.telephonedoctor.com. Published in Networking Today, January 2006.