Talent Agency 411

To create magnificent luxury watches with technical and decorative accuracy is always the pursuit of the watchmaking master Vacheron Constantin. Recently, basic on the traditional techniques, the brand successfully combined with modern innovation and introduced the majestic Metiers d’Art La symbolique des laques Collection.

The Vacheron Constantin watches new collection includes 3 fabulous timepieces: the Pine Tree and Crane Watch - Matsu to tsuru, the Bamboo and Sparrow Watch - Take to suzume and the Plum Tree and Nightingale Watch - Ume to uguisu. Actually the pine tree, bamboo, and the plum tree all have great resistance to extreme cold in the winter season. The watchmaker originally released the three models to explore the theme of long life: strong like the pine, tough like bamboo, and pure like plum tree. Though inspired from winter season, they are all paired with a bird celebrating the arrival of spring.They all feature sophisticated and delicate. As soon as you laid your eyes on them, you have to admit that they are really the perfect combination of talents of the company’s watchmaking talents with those of the lacquer arts.The collection features 40 mm case in 18kt rose or white gold coated with Japanese maki-e lacquer. The black alligator leather watch bracelet just completes the elegance of these masterpieces. They use manual-wind Vacheron in-house caliber 1003 SQ movement which is skeletonized, done in 14kt gold, ruthenium treated and stamped with the Geneva Hallmark.

It has 18 jewels and a power reserve of 30 hours. Besides, they are water resistant to 30 meters.While, it is said that they are Limited series of 20 sets per year. If you really like them, you should never miss them. Of course, for it’s high price, more and more people chosee high quality replica watches for saving money.

Oyster card wallets offer one of the businesslike methods, which ensures a visual place for your organisation or trade name and supplies umteen outstanding opportunities to publicise your organisation. It is a stylishly designed promotional product, which makes an superior advertising platform for your company and provides a solid platform for your business organization. Oyster card wallets enable you to fit the demand as well as the taste of your likely clients. It is a flawless token of usefulness, which grants an innovative, working and a reliable way of raising your trade name. It gives a best choice for gift giving, assisting you to present or promote your business among your prized clients, indifferent of the type of your line of work.

1) Oyster card wallets are ordinarily mass-produced in PVC and obtainable in blue, red, purple or teak colors. They have pouches to accomodate a oyster card and also 2 complementary card expansion slots on the cover. You can also use them for keeping credit cards and photographs. You can create a great impression by passing them out to your fantastic guests, employees or acquaintances.

2) It is a fantastic value promotional item for your aimed audience and arrives in a outstanding range of different colors and blueprints. It is anti-fade and prepared of moisture repellent and water resistant textiles. Oyster card holders will make a fantastic impact, when handed out to your work colleagues, customers, relations or even acquaintances on their special social occasions.

3) Oyster wallets can assist you keep all of your important cards or train tickets together in one safe and convenient point. They are crafted from functional PVC plastic and accept charge plate slots and central note pocket. They look cool and glorious and grant a great chance to make an powerful stamp. You can either present them to your customers, admirers, designates or staff, for valuing them for their work. They will really make you leap out higher up the crowd and are perfect for your own private purpose, too.

4) They are graceful and cost effective objects, and are obtainable in a good range of colorings and sizings. Their brilliant colorings will make it favorable for you to find them in your handbag or breif-case. They also have a logotype embossed on the front. They are one of the most modern promotional wares and grant a great means of maximizing your merchandising budget.

5) They are used for all standard journey passes, a driver’s licence or an oyster card. These items can be welded to your own demands to allow for modification of the back or to bestow additional wallets. They can also be designed to fit the vogue and design of the ticket or oyster card and can be personalized to assist you fit your company’s demand and fulfill your customer’s demands.

Alli, a reduced dose of the weight loss pill Xenical, is an over-the-counter diet drug that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

This pill, which is taken thrice every day after meals, stops the digestion of 25% fat consumed by the body. The amount of fat calories blocked by the drug will depend on the amount of fat taken, but it mostly blocks between 100 to 200 calories a day.

According to a study conducted by the GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) Consumer Healthcare, the manufacturer of the pill, those who took Alli for six months lost 50% more weight than the subjects who only ate healthy. The product’s $54 starter pack, which has a set of pills good for one month, contains a diet guide, food journal and a fat and calorie counter.

If you take this diet drug, chances are you will experience oily and loose stools, especially when you consume too much fat, which is about 15g each meal. In extreme cases, you will have a difficult time controlling your bowel movements. However, such cases will only happen when there is a neglect of a healthy food intake. This, in a way, will encourage users to avoid foods that are not healthy for the body.

This product is recommended for those who are overweight, mostly the people who have a BMI (body mass index) of no less than 25.

“Alli, like Xenical, will be useful for people who eat out often and don’t have much control over the amount of fat they are served,” said Dr. Caroline Cederquist, an American Society of Bariatric Physicians spokesperson. “So if you eat more fat than you intended, you’ll get rid of it.”

Everyone wants his company logo to be the best but how good is good? How do we define a good logo? Is it necessary to be colorful or an exquisite piece of art? Can a simple design work as a good logo? We are often in a dilemma.

Now to define a good logo design we first need to understand the purpose of having a logo. A corporate logo is one of the most essential branding elements for your company. It should be instrumental in building your corporate identity and should successfully exude the company’s attitude. The viewers must have some idea about the disposition, character, or fundamental values of your company through your logo. The functionality of a logo does not end here, I have not yet mentioned the most important function of a corporate logo. Your logo should be able to build a positive, strong and long lasting impression on existing and prospective customers. The very moment a person views your logo, even a part of it, he should think of your company.

Just think of some of the all time great logos, McDonalds’, IBM, Nike the moment you see their logos, even if you see a part of it or may be in Black and White (there comes another important aspect!) are you able to think of anything else than the respective company? The answer is definitely NO! The first thing that comes to your mind is the name of the company. This shows how strong an impression their logo leaves in our mind. Isn’t that, what all of us are looking for?

How do you get your logo to leave such a strong long lasting impression? The key to this question is to make it easy to remember. Companies often make the mistake of thinking that a complicated artistic design might work well for them, while the reverse is true, in most cases. The simpler your logo is, the easier it is to remember and so it leaves a stronger impression on the people.

You also need to think of all the possible mediums where you are going to use your logo. You are not going to use your logo in only one medium, you might use it on your business cards and stationery, you might use it in your website, you might also use it in the conventional media like newspaper classifieds and magazines. This is why it is most important to inform your logo designers about the possible mediums where you are going to use your logo. You should also check if your logo looks good in Black and White, because tomorrow if you need to get a document in black and white with your logo on it, it should be very easily compatible to that as well.

In the beginning of this article, I have mentioned, that your logo can successfully convey the character and nature of your business to its viewers. How do we do that? There are a host of factors that are considered before designing a logo. When you place an order for a logo design, as a client it is your responsibility to give a clear brief of your company profile, the industry you are in and the nature of logo that you are looking for, to the designers. If you are not sure about the nature of logo that suits your company, let the logo design firm decide on that. There are many logo design companies who are experienced and they will be much better equipped to suggest you the correct type of logos. Any good logo design firm would conduct a market research about the different types of logos used in your industry by your competitors and their impact on the people. Based on that they will deliver you a set of logos from which you can choose any one and then they will customize that to your perfection.

If you have any corporate colors, as we have red for McDonalds’, it will be wise to suggest the designers to use that color in your logo-any good designer would anyhow do that.

One last word, as with any other industry, it is definitely beneficial to buy professional service than to go for any amateur designs just to save a few dollars. You might be the best in your industry but they know their job better than you, so if you want to get a good result, try to depend on your logo design company. I do understand that there are certain logo design companies that charge exorbitant rate to create a logo design but the industry is changing. These days there are companies that offer excellent logos for nominal charges. So before you decide to place your order for your logo design, check the portfolio of the company and then check the price tag. You can definitely find some professional logo designs at affordable rates.

Ray Smith is a marketing Expert with years of experience in different industries and specialized knowledge on branding and internet marketing. Affordable Logo Design.

When building a business as a brand it’s important to avoid
a myopic view and consider another important aspect of the
business game as well– investing. After any amount of toil
and hard work to create a valuable product, service or
company the big game is when you go public– when
money-minded people want more, they want a piece of your
brand pie.

For many entrepreneurs who are just starting out or are
flying solo for any amount of years, it’s often inconceivable
that anyone would want a piece of their business in the
future when they are struggling to grow now. For those who
find themselves in this implausible thought or for those who
believe in the ‘brass ring’ of going public there are four
things you should consider now that will enable that kind of
big future.

On a recent flight from Los Angeles to Orlando I experienced
a flight of fancy beyond anything I have ever felt before. When
I booked through Delta airlines, I was issued a ticket on a
company I had not heard of before called Song. I thought it
odd but nothing beyond that. That all changed from the
moment I got to the gate.

Waiting for the plane to board, I sensed a light buzz flowing
through people at the gate. They were actually thrilled to be
waiting. I thought that happy gas had been pumped into just
this section because across from us was another group on
another airline waiting to board who were not feeling the
same thing. Then the pre-boarding began.

A male Latin voice came over the intercom and began the
boarding with… a joke– a different experience. He then went
on to announce the boarding procedure with so much joy
that I couldn’t wait to get in line. I wasn’t even in a hurry to get
on the plane. When I got to the door, the woman taking my
ticket greeted me as if I arrived at her home for a party– a
very different experience.

I walked on the plane and heard upbeat music, saw the
colorful comfortable seats, and was greeted by fashionably
dressed flight-attendants by the time I sat down, the first
thing I said to Nanci, a perky brunette from Atlanta, was
“How can I invest in Song?” The plane hadn’t even taken off
yet!

When working with entrepreneurs and businesses of all
sizes, I often stress the need to create a brand experience
for the customer from every point of contact. Never was this
point hit home so beautifully… and so fun.

Let’s breakdown my desire to invest in this company just
from just a single contact in four points of connection we
humans can relate to:

One, most airlines are scrambling to cover losses and
willing to slash prices to get people flying again– Delta
included. As they scramble to react, new airlines were
capturing market share with lower price points. With Song,
Delta made the decision to expand rather than dilute Delta’s
existing brand and value proposition. They needed to go in
another direction and create something completely different
to join the battle. Now I wasn’t here too observe this
personally, but it seems to me they responded like a nimble
entrepreneur eyeing a market opportunity, not a giant
digging in. To make big advances, bold steps are needed.

Two, from the very beginning they had me emotionally. From
the moment I was at the gate through when I stepped off the
plane they touched me. I got to choose from a menu of great
food and I got to choose my entertainment– the music
selection was better than a record store. I felt so good I
didn’t even think I was in the air. No emotional detail was
spared. They nailed it big time. It was all planned down to
the detail. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the Captain
came on and introduced Cirque du Soleil (the famed
performers from Canada) would be performing soon. They
had me from… the joke. Create and experience I’ll buy more
than a ticket.

Three, they were able to make this emotional impact on me
because the airline itself came from a deep place of belief.
After the unfortunate events of September 11th, the airline
industry was reeling. Delta employees knew they had to do
something to capture the hearts of flyers or cutbacks and
layoffs were on the horizon. They believed they had to deliver
an exceptional service never before experienced at a price
that the public would pay. No more doing business as
usual, they had to create something that they personally
would want to experience. They took the big business of
flight and made it deeply personal. They were able to get me
emotionally because of their deep belief.

Four, as a smart investor I knew that if Song was able to
keep up this level of experience for their customers in a
dependable fashion that it would indeed become “the airline
of choice” for me. I also knew there are lots of me’s in the
world. At this rate of experience, it would be no time at all
before they expanded their routes and create a powerful
brand presence in the marketplace. A smart investor knows
to follow their own instincts and invest in more than just the
numbers– what they experience as valuable– what they
believe in.

And all of this was woven together with the CEO’s passion
of music, hence the name. This was by far the best branded
experience I have ever witnessed… no… experienced!

If investors look at businesses from this viewpoint, then
shouldn’t you as a business owner do the same?

Whether you are a small business owner or a new
entrepreneur develop your brand by focusing on
“experience,” doing so will undoubtedly put your business
closer to your customer AND closer to the investment pie.
And you will also enjoy the journey!

Unfortunately, Song is not public… yet. I’m first in line.

Kim A. Castle, Co-founder BrandU, Co-Author of Why
BrandU: Big Business Success No Matter Your Size, and
BrandU Bible, the only step-by-step workbook for
developing your business as a brand.

www.whybrandu.com

© 2004 Castle Montone, Limited Reprinted with Permission

Kim Castle successfully helps hundreds of small business
owners grow their businesses and is co-author of the 150+
page BrandU Bible, the only step-by-step workbook that
gives entrepreneurs the tools to develop their business as a
brand and the upcoming Why BrandU: Big Business
Success No Matter Your Size.

Kim Castle’s motto is “Whether your market is the globe or
your zip code, you have the power to communicate your
business as a brand. You just haven’t been shown how…
until now.”

Clients who love what you do are the cornerstone of a successful professional service business. Here are three ways to boost the value your clients associate with you and your business.

1. Deliver unexpected value.

Delivering your service with excellence each and every time is the foundation of this method. Excellent service is essential. But you can’t stop there if you want to create top-of-mind awareness and become one in a million in the mind of your client. You also need to proactively manage your client’s expectations, and to provide unexpected value systematically and regularly.

Management of client expectations begins with your very first contact. How you introduce yourself and your business, the messages you provide in your marketing materials and your reputation combine to create a set of expectations in the mind of your client.

And that set of expectations is why your client hires you. If you don’t live up to those expectations, no matter whether or not they are realistic, your perceived value instantly decreases.

Hence, it is incumbent upon you to unearth all expectations held by your client that will ultimately affect her evaluation of your service. Where it’s appropriate, you need to help your client revise her expectations of you. This is an on-going process as you interact with your client over time. But you mustn’t ever forget to attend to the task of managing client expectations.

Adding unexpected value is easy and has a great impact on the positive perception of your business. This can be done in a myriad of ways, depending on what your actual service is just be sure that the unexpected things you do or give your clients are aligned with who you are and what your business is. A couple of ways you might give unexpected value are:

– Giving your home phone number to clients when you’re working on a project that requires late hours or weekend work (i.e., making yourself available outside of regular business hours).

– Keeping a file of information you come across in the newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet that is pertinent and valuable to your clients. Regularly sending this information to your prospects and clients even though they may never hire you.

– Going the extra mile with your services regardless of the short-term expense to you.

– Delighting and surprising your clients in a personal, yet professional, manner such as with a Happy Completion-of-Project card or a new business journal.

– Providing extra services either exclusively for your active clients or at a reduced rate for them.

2. Ensure your client’s success.

This path starts by ensuring that the service you provide is actually going to solve your client’s problem. To do that, you need to perform a thorough discovery process. As part of your discovery process, you’ll determine if this project is ideal for you, and if the problems it presents are ones you can magnificently and happily solve.

You’ll do your best work on projects you find intriguing, interesting, and just a bit of a challenge to your expertise. If the project will bore you or overwhelm you, I recommend you refer it on to someone else who is better suited to it. Give your clients the best opportunity to be successful by ensuring they have the right person for the job, even when that isn’t you. Your client will respect you for this, be surprised by it, and hire you when a more appropriate project arises.

Once you accept a project, proactively reduce the risk your client faces. Your client is expected to provide a solution that meets certain criteria in the areas of schedule, cost, and quality. Be sure you fully understand what those criteria are. Every project needs to rank schedule, cost, and quality in order of importance to the project. The primary criteria could be any of these three. If you have agreed to provide a solution for a fixed fee, manage the scope of the project and your expenses so that you don’t exceed the project fee. If you have agreed to a target delivery date, manage the scope of the project and the resources allocated to the project to ensure the date is met.

And, if you have agreed to a standard of quality, manage the schedule and resources to ensure the standard is met. You can only hold one primary criterion at a time the other two are movable. Of course, the ideal is to meet all three criteria. Help your client’s projects come in on time, in budget, and with exceptional quality.

Don’t just provide your service provide your expertise and your wisdom. Help your clients find an easier, safer, less expensive or quicker way to accomplish their objectives.

3. Toot your own horn.

If your client doesn’t know all that you’re providing her or her project, how can she possibly fully appreciate you? Clients are busy people and they frequently don’t see everything you provide. So it’s up to you to make sure that they know what you’re doing.

But first you need to know what it is that you deliver for your clients. You aren’t just providing technical writing, graphic design, editing or whatever. You are providing solutions, new perspectives, structures, planning, alternatives, strategies, resources, energy, processes, procedures, and more.

Once you know what you provide, find several ways to communicate it to your clients. For example, you can add a hand-written and personalized note on your invoice to the effect of “Terry I really enjoyed the opportunity to brainstorm options to ABC process with you. Looking forward to our continued great relationship.” Or set up several different email signatures, each one focused on an intangible you provide.

If you don’t toot your own horn, nobody else will!

Copyright 2004, Rose Hill, Inc

Rose Hill, Founder and Owner,of Biz Whiz Expert (http://www.SoloBizVille.com) and Team Member of Solo-E.Com (http://www.Solo-E.Com) has been self-employed since 1990. Knowing how to run corporate departments and how to market corporate entities, products, and services did nothing to prepare her for successfully running and marketing a one-person business. That is why Rose created the SoloBizVille and SoloBizU community to specifically to help solo entrepreneurs jumpstart their business success without all the trial-and-error learning.

Find more articles like this at http://www.Solo-E.com, the lifestyle-inspired online learning and connection community. Visit now to receive a free copy of our special report, The Four Secrets of Solo Entrepreneur Success, plus a complimentary 30-day membership.

Postage is an expense that can erase your profits. Follow these guidelines to reduce your postage expense.

1. Never send a letter that weighs less than 30 gms. Five size
8-1/2×11 circulars can be mailed with a 1st class postage stamp. By using all 10 sides with a variety of offers you have a greater chance of receiving an order.

2. When you advertise, state the price of your product and add Plus Postage e.g. “A DOZEN AND ONE WAYS TO REDUCE POSTAGE” $1 plus stamp or SASE (self addressed stamped envelope). When inviting inquiries always say “For information send SASE”.

3. Advertise that you will do paid mailing. Set a competitive price and recover some if not all of the costs involved in mailing your own offers.

4. Write a good plan or folio; then create a good ad to sell it. Or offer it to others on a “commission” or “all profit” basis and fill the orders for a SASE. Your offers can then go along for a free ride when you fill the orders.

5. Make up an interesting ad sheet. Use up some of the spaces for your own ads then sell enough ads to others to cover the cost of postage, printing, advertising etc.

6. Advertise a “Free Big Mail for Postage - the More Postage the More Mail”. (Big mail consists of at least one mailorder publication plus a variety of circulars).

7. Do exchange mailing. You mail 100 of another dealer’s circulars and they will mail 100 or yours.

8. Purchase an accurate postal scale. Then you will never add more postage than necessary OR you can use up the full value of the postage being used.

9. Reduce postage by using Bulk Mail. Inquire at the Post Office. This requires the mailer (U.S.) to sort their mail by state and zip code and mail at least 200 like pieces at one time.

10. Stamps that have not been canceled due to an error of the postal cancellation machine may be used again.

11. Accept stamps from another country. If you can’t use them trade with a dealer from that country for stamps that you can use or buy something from them paying them with stamps of equal value.

12. Watch mailorder publications for dealers who have new stamps to sell at a reduced price.

Note: It is false economy to not send a SASE when making inquiries of other dealers. You are more likely to receive an answer much more quickly and it improves business relations. Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer This information may be freely distributed on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.

Are you content with your advertising budget?
Schedule a coaching session with Frugal Solutions Expert, DeAnna Spencer.
She will design an affordable online advertising plan for you.
Contact her by sending an email to deanna.spencer(at)gmail.com
Visit this small business resource for more information.

Into which camp does your business fall?

A. You don’t have a logo, but wish you did
B. You don’t have a logo, and could care less
C. You have a logo, but have a hunch it’s not quite “it”
D. You have a logo that you love

Whether you are thrilled, disgruntled or mystified by the whole logo piece of your business, it’s certainly not something to ignore (ahem, I know you wouldn’t dare do that!). Even if you are all set with your logo, you may still want to tighten up the way you use it.

If your business thrives 100% on word-of-mouth referrals and you have no desire to grow beyond current capacity, certainly you can function quite well without a logo. But most entrepreneurial businesses want to grow, and in fact need to grow in order to keep pace with clients’ growing needs and to outpace the competition. There are many small businesses providing the same professional services as you… having a notable image can contribute to helping you stand out from the pack.

Point blank: Your logo is the visual spark that burns recognition of your business into the minds of your audience. It is the quickest, simplest way to convey your essence - your logo tells your story without a wordy account.

One of the most brilliant logos is the infamous Nike “swoosh.” I’m sure it pops to your mind instantly. This is a logo that needs no written explanation when you see it. This simple symbol swiftly conjures up what Nike is all about: “Just Do It.”

Whether you have an established logo or are newly considering logo design for your business, the following lessons from Nike and other companies with exemplary branding will raise the bar on how your logo serves your company’s image:

Always Deliver on Your Logo’s Promise. If a picture is worth a thousand words, your logo is worth a thousand deeds - make sure your business deeds jibe with the image you are portraying externally. Your logo is merely a visual reflection of your brand, and your brand includes every element of your business, from the way you answer the phone to your unique method of service delivery to your approach to building business relationships. As you deliver your “brand message” consistently over time, your logo becomes even more powerful because it links your target audience’s experience of you with the image you use repeatedly.

Don’t Short Change Your Image. I am astounded when entrepreneurs who invest thousands of dollars into equipment, training, entertaining clients, traveling, and many other facets of running a business, take the cheap route with their logo. They hire the neighbor’s “artsy” sister-in-law, or create a do-it-yourself icon with the desktop publishing program that came with their PC. Please, please, please… hire a real graphic designer. Pay the bucks to get this done right. You want your logo to be a masterpiece, not a monster piece.

Be Cool About Color Selection. If your audience tends to be more conservative, you’ll probably want to reflect that. Pick your top ten ideal clients and see what colors they favor. But only let this information guide you - ultimately, you must live with your logo a good long time, so go with colors that please you. There are no hard and fast rules, but ultimately, your logo will strike a balance between what you like and how your audience perceives your company. Talk to your designer about how color selection can impact printing costs.

TIP: Make sure your logo reproduces well in black and white, also. You don’t want your nice logo fading out when the client photocopies or faxes your document.

Make it Unique - Resist Clipart! The entire point of creating a logo is to set you apart from the crowd. Spend the money on a designer who will create a one-of-a-kind logo just for your business. Clipart logos are risky - there is a chance that another company uses a similar image. But also, clipart looks like… well, clipart. A little on the kitsch side.

Supersize It. Make sure your designer provides you with a small, medium and large version of your logo. If you need to put it on a business card, it needs to be legible at the smaller size. And if you ever need to put it on a large sign, you’ll want a logo pre-sized for that. Simply upsizing the small version will result in poor quality and often distortion.

Call your Lawyer First. Okay, this may be the most unsexy step in the process of creating a logo for your business, but I implore you to invest the time and expense to make sure that your company name is truly yours. Have a trademark attorney conduct a thorough search on your company name before you go to the expense of creating an image around it. How awful it would be for you if you spend years building equity in your company name and brand, only to learn that another company wants to sue you for trademark infringement! Avert this nightmare by getting a lawyer involved.

I bet you didn’t realize that designing a logo could be so complex! Please resist the temptation to skirt around these issues - put the time and money into creating a logo that builds your image and raises the bar for your business. You may not want to tattoo your logo onto your forehead, but this simple little icon is the most important outfit your business wears.

Martha Carnahan is president of MC3 Strategies, is an Atlanta-based company that champions entrepreneurs having a prosperous business AND a fabulous life. Learn more about Martha Carnahan and MC3 Strategies by visiting http://www.mc3strategies.com (which is currently under construction, but bookmark it for future reference!). Or, visit my coaching services website: http://www.YourBrilliantLife.com

As many people know Industry Trade Journals in America have gone through a tough time in recent years due to slowing of advertising dollars. In franchising there is no difference. They use to give away subscriptions to Successful Franchising on franchise web sites; unfortunately that magazine was unable to weather the storm. They stop publishing in October of 2001. Now we see a re-emergence of Franchise Times, who has hired a new salesman, who is going to all the franchisors and telling them to advertise.

Most franchisors have theories of where it is best to advertise. Most DO NOT advertise in such trade journals. A few do, mostly for brand name recognition, although in my opinion it is a total waste of money. Franchisors who really care about their franchisees would spend the advertising dollars to get new franchisees in places that would help both getting new franchisees and helping their own franchisees get new customers; a much better way to advertise. I feel sorry for people like the sales man who called me trying to peddle these display ads and combat what must be an unending amount of rejection. I feel even more sorry for franchisees of any system whose franchisors blow money on any advertising, which does not help their franchisees. These costs are obviously passed on to new franchise buyers, who probably came to the franchisor’s site through a web site or from a referral from an existing franchisee where they bought a sandwich, did dry cleaning, got their hair cut or got taxes completed. We have found that this sort of advertising in places like Franchise Times has never worked for our company, we believe it is a waste of money, even worse than attending trade shows.

As advertising dollars continue to dry up and even with all the media consolidation, there seems to be a very aggressive approach to sales tactics of these salesmen/women and a touch of unnerving arrogance among the editors, publishers and self-important writers. I guess that arrogance goes with the job, however I think it is time for all Industry Journals and media for that matter to come back to Earth, realize their relative value in our society. Everything has an intrinsic value and an actual value and we need Industry Journals to find equilibrium, because as it stands in my opinion, it is not even close. Why would any franchisor waste money on such advertising? Perhaps they themselves want to see their pictures in the ads, perhaps if the advertise they can get the editors to go ahead and do a story on the company? Maybe we have just too many egos in franchising? What say you?

Would you want to buy a franchise from a franchisor who blows money on such advertising, that could be better spent helping the team succeed together? I know I wouldn’t. Maybe you should buy a magazine and then make sure to delete the franchisors that advertise in it as wasteful and not inline with financial responsibility, simply do not buy any franchise of anyone advertising in that way?

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the
appearance by your firm should be a continuum of your
entire marketing including advertising, public relations and
events.

While you may introduce a new product or showcase a
service, many firms make mistakes by not connecting the
overall corporate branding with the show. How can an
exhibit staff person be up to speed on what the company is
doing?

BEFORE THE SHOW …………

1. Make sure you have information about the exhibit - what
is in it, why it is there - before the show. Not the day before
but as soon as you get your assignment. The exhibit
manager has the responsibility to make sure the exhibit is
on time and looks great - among many other duties. The
marketing team decides the theme, products highlighted
and rationale.

2. Read your company and division web sites. Sure, there
are lots of pages but there are hidden nuggets in there that
you may have forgotten or may be new to you. Here’s what
you may not know - attendees who are serious about
meeting with you - well, they will check your web site. Best
to be as informed as your prospective clients are.

3. Read all the promotional materials that you will hand out.
If an attendee has a question while at the booth, your
answer will not be - DUH?

4. Know what is in all the demonstrations. Are there cues to
expand on the demo? Clues as to how to lead a
conversation? Listen carefully and make your life easier.

5. Read advertising in your trade publications. What does
your firm promote versus your competitors? Can you explain
the differences?

6. While reading the trades, look for articles and releases
about your company. Check your online press release
section or ask the PR department about releases sent
before the show.

7. Understand the role of your firm if a sponsor of an event.

8. Ask. Ask. Ask until you get answers that satisfy you. Your
goal is to make you the best representative for the company
you can be.

Having an understanding of the broad marketing aspects
before the show makes your firm well branded at event.

Julia O’Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes
about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of
Trade Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 11th
year, she works with companies in a variety of
industries to improve their bottom line and marketing
opportunities at trade shows.

Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show
environment and uses this expertise in sales training
and management seminars. Contact her at
804-355-7800 or check the site
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com