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w w w. b r i l l i a n t p u b l i s h i n g . c o m$1
0.00
SE
PTEM
BER
| 2
011
Inside on Page 8
Get It. DONE.
IF YOU CAN RELATETHEN THIS IS THE EVENTYOU’VE BEEN dreaming OF
Engagement, Recognition, Incentives… One event to
— 50+ Professional Seminars — Merchandise Incentives— Gift and Prepaid Cards— Promotional Products— Travel and Experiential Awards— Meeting and Event Services— Recognition and Service Awards
REGISTER TODAY at WWW.MOTIVATIONSHOW.COMTHREE DAYS of CONTACTS, CONTENT, and CREATIVITY
cover story:8 Monaco... The Dream Incentive Destination
departments:6 publisher’s letter
7 contributors: Real people in the industry with real perspectives
12 travel: Safe Tourism… Produces a Whole New World of Marketing Opportunities
14 marketing: On Buying Promotional Products: Are You Being Helped … or Enabled?
16 branding: brand survival techniques
18 outside the box: Working Together… Marketing and Public Relations
20 foresight: Five Ways to Help Shift the Paradigms in Your Life
22 exhibit: your customer profile: Part two
24 extra measures: who controls your destiny?
26 it’s all personal: want to grow your business now? Incentivize!
28 situations: more than ‘friends’
29 ad index
30 advice: take it easy when things get tough
26
16
8
18
Vol. 8, No. 9 2011
4 Brilliant Results • September 2011
www.groline.com Or Call (800) 637-4823 (9-4PM • M-F • Central) Groline™ • 1 Nursery Road • Box 878 Georgetown, TX 78627-0878
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publisher’s letter
Change is a good thing. Perhaps this economic recession will lead to
better changes, innovations and the like. I would like to think something good
will come out of it.
Treating your employees and customers as if they should kiss your feet
because they have a job or are able to buy your product is tantamount to
insuring that your business will not do well in the future.
Economic downturns only last so long. Take advantage of the downturn
by being the better boss, better company, better employee. You can make a
change and succeed both professionally and personally; it will just take time
and the commitment to do so.
In this issue we have covered a brilliant incentive location – Monaco, I am
hoping to get there someday as it sounds truly brilliant. We have also given
you ideas and tips to make your incentives and initiatives pay off.
A happy employee makes a company that much better. Get out there start
planting those seeds and incentives so that your harvest will be bountiful in
the near future!
Enjoy the issue and remember always to…
Brilliant Publishing LLC9034 Joyce Lane
Hummelstown, PA 17036Ph: 717.571.9233Fax: 717.566.5431
PUBLISHER / ADVERTISINGMaureen Williams
717-608-5869
EDITORIALEditor in ChiefMaryAnne Morrill
Senior EditorMichelle Donofry
Style EditorCharity Plata
Asst. EditorMolly Anika
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSMichael Crooks, Barton Goldsmith, Donna Farrugia,
Arnold Light, CTC, Martin Lindstrom, Kyle Parks, Dave Ribble, Barry Siskind, John Tschohl,
Steve Woodburn
PRODUCTION / DESIGNArt DirectorJeremy Tingle
Brilliant Results is published monthly by Brilliant Publishing LLC,
9034 Joyce Lane Hummelstown PA 17036 (717) 608-5869; Fax#
(717) 566-5431. Postage paid at Michigan City, IN and additional
offices. POSTMASTER please send address changes to Brilliant
Results, 9034 Joyce Lane, Hummelstown PA 17036. Volume 8.
Number 08. Brilliant Results subscription rates: one-year $120;
Canadian $160 USD; one-year foreign $225 USD. All subscriptions
are non-refundable. Copyright © 2011 Brilliant Publishing LLC. All
rights reserved. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject
any advertising or editorial material. Advertisers, and/or their agents,
assume the responsibility for any claims against the publisher based
on the advertisement. Editorial contributors assume responsibility for
their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against
the publisher based on published work. No part of this publication can
be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without written
permission from the publisher. All items submitted to Brilliant Results
become the sole property of Brilliant Publishing LLC. Editorial content
does not reflect the views of the publisher. The imprints, logos,
trademarks or trade names (Collectively the “Marks”) displayed on
the products featured in Brilliant Results are for illustrative purposes
only and are not available for sale. The marks do not represent the
implied or actual endorsement by the owners of the Marks of the
product on which they appear. All of the Marks are the property of
the respective owners and is not the property of either the advertisers
using the Marks or Brilliant Results.
brilliantresults™
Have a Brilliant Day!
Maureen [email protected] 717-608-5869
Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/Bresults
Judge each day not by the harvest you reap
but by the seeds you plant. -ROBERT LOuIS STEvENSON
6 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
contributors
a Michael Crooks, owns Crooks Advertising Alliance, an advertising and promotional marketing firm that specializes in creative problem-solving. The 27-year advertising veteran is internationally recognized as a thought-leader for his ability to strip away the status quo to reveal the obscure obvious. To learn more about his creative, writing and speaking services contact Crooks through www.CrooksAdvertising.com.
b Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. For more than two decades Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, and government organizations have relied on Dr. Barton Goldsmith to help them develop creative and balanced leadership. His columns appear in over 500 publications. He may be contacted through his web site www.BartonGoldsmith.com.
c Donna Farrugia is the Executive Director of The Creative Group, a specialized staffing firm placing interactive, design and marketing professionals with a variety of firms. She manages operations for the firm’s locations in major markets throughout the United States and Canada and has more than 25 years of marketing, business development and management experience.
d Arnold Light, CTC, CEO & President of Arnold Light Consults Inc., has 35 years of marketing experience specializing in incentive and loyalty marketing helping multinational corporations develop and implement B2B and B2C results oriented performance improvement programs. For additional information visit www.lightconsults.com.
e Martin Lindstrom, a respected branding and marketing expert, was selected as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by TIME magazine. The founder, CEO and Chairman of the LINDSTROM company (Sydney), Martin speaks to a global audience of approximately one million people every year. His latest book; Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy – a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book has been translated into 37 languages and is on almost all major best-seller lists worldwide.
f Kyle Parks is Principal & President of Bayview Public Relations, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based PR firm that raises the visibility of clients through strategic messaging, media relations, social media, and leveraging of community and industry involvements. Kyle is an expert in media training, crisis communications, and creation of quality content. For additional information visit www.BayviewPR.com.
g Dave Ribble is writing articles and a book about Innovative Thinking. He is President of The Company Image/TCI Innovation, an award-winning Promotional Marketing & Consulting firm that has worked with just about every type of industry of every size. Dave can be reached at: [email protected].
h Barry Siskind is an internationally recognized trade and consumer show expert. He is the author of six bestselling business books including Powerful Exhibit Marketing. Read his newest book, Selling from the Inside Out for an in depth guide to a successful sales career. Visit Barry at www.siskindtraining.com.
i Dr. Peter Tarlow is the founder and president of Tourism & More Inc. Dr. Tarlow has appeared on National televised programs such as Dateline: NBC and on CNBC. Dr. Tarlow organizes conferences around the world dealing with visitor safety and security issues and with the economic importance of tourism and tourism marketing. For additional information visit www.tourismandmore.com
j John Tschohl, the internationally recognized service strategist, is founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Described by USA Today, Time, and Entrepreneur as a “customer service guru,” he has written several books on customer service and has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs that have been distributed throughout the world. John’s monthly strategic newsletter is available online.
ko Steve Woodburn works with clients to develop creative and measurable solutions that solve their marketing needs using promotional products, uniform programs, online company stores, point-of-sale initiatives along with rewards and recognition. He builds long-term relationships and becomes a trusted advisor and consultant his clients can turn to for all their brand extension needs. You can reach him at Staples Promotional Products: [email protected]
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Monaco...
8 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
If You ArE an incentive planner and have to come
up with the one destination that would please not only the
people who worked so hard to earn the trip but also a hard
core of management people with high expectations there
would be only one choice of destination and that would be the Principality
of Monaco. In particular Monte Carlo which is famous for her hotels,
casinos, glamour and celebrity sightings, and a true gem of everything
imaginable for an incentive trip. Accessible, glamorous and, above all,
affordable, Monaco is one of the world’s most attractive destinations.
Monaco is the world's second smallest independent nation and is
situated between the french and Italian riviera, close to the museums
of Nice (Matisse, Chagall) and the glamorous shopping boulevards of
Cannes. The Picasso Museum and world-famous Maeght Collection are
nearby, as well.
According to the Monaco Tourist Board there are many reasons why the
Principality makes sense when selecting an incentive destination based
on the parameters set by corporate managements. They are as follows:
Monaco is Affordable – for all of the glamour and luxury it is no more
expensive than Hawaii or the Caribbean. And there are guaranteed uS
dollar hotel packages and VAT refunds on many services which make the
principality an even better value.
High Standard of International Hotels – The stunning European style
resorts are ranked among the best in the world. They are regularly
refurbished to feature all modern amenities. There’s no better place to
relax and be pampered.
Image and Distinction – Monaco is a destination unlike any other,
offering fairy-tale glamour and a rich cultural heritage that few other
countries can match plus Americans have a fascination with royalty.
Variety of Activities – Whether your group would enjoy the beauty of the
Monte-Carlo Ballet or participating in exciting team-building exercises, this
will be a trip never to be forgotten, both personally and professionally.
one of the safest destinations on earth - Monaco enjoys a high level of
security and English is spoken most everywhere.
So with the help of an incentive company, in conjunction with The
Monaco Tourist Board and a destination management company (DMC) a
planner’s job can be made simple. These folks are truly dedicated and there
are lots of different itineraries to choose. Here is a typical 5-night program
that would suit most incentive groups coming from the uS and would cost
approximately $2,500 to $3,000 per person for ground accommodations.
Day One Your group arrives at Nice Cõte d’Azur International Airport and clears
immigration and customs. After a comfortable motor coach ride of about
45 minutes to Monaco, the group is free to get its first taste of the wondrous
Principality before a cocktail reception at the hotel followed by a buffet
dinner. An informative pictorial guidebook of the Principality of Monaco is
offered to all as a welcome gift.
By: Arnold Light, CTC
Monaco...
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 9www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
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DAY TWoThis morning, your guests get better acquainted with the
Principality. fascinating sights include the old Town, with
a visit to the oceanographic Museum and the Cathedral
of Saint-Nicholas where Prince rainier III married Grace
Kelly. Guests can wander the charming medieval streets
and squares before the colorful changing of the guard in
the Palace Square. Lunch is taken in a typical Monègasque
restaurant to savor local dishes prepared especially for them.
After lunch, we leave Monaco and climb 1,500 feet above
the sea to visit the quaint medieval village of Eze. Where we
can visit the perfumeries of fragonard or Galimard.
Tonight's dinner will be at the Prince's Private Collection
of Classic Cars. Guests will be able to walk around a
hundred cars of all ages. Tonight’s room gift is postcards
already stamped with the proper postage for writing about
the adventures to friends back home.
DAY THrEE This morning, cruise along the riviera coastline to the
charming fishing port of Villfranche. The cruise is followed
by lunch along the waterfront at La Mere Germaine, known
for its fish specialties. To prove that you can’t go wrong with
any of Monaco’s world-class restaurants, guests will have
the opportunity tonight to choose between several of them.
Back at your hotel room, delicious truffles from Monaco’s
chocolate factory await.
DAY fourToday is the day to discover the ease with which the city,
coast and country are combined. In the morning, we depart
Monaco for a full-day sortie into france. The bustling city
of Cannes, known for its renowned film festival, is the first
stop. The tour includes the Croisette Harbor and old Town.
Lunch is at leisure. St. Paul de Vence, an extraordinary 12th
century fortified village, is the next destination. Since the
1920s, this town has become a haven for movie stars and
artists. The afternoon will offer an opportunity to explore the
streets of the old walled village and browse the charming
boutiques and galleries.
Back in Monaco, the evening begins with another fabulous
dinner and a show at the world famous Sporting Club. Table
gifts of casino chips are included, and guests are free to test
their luck at the casino.
DAY fIVEIn the morning, your guests will travel to the lively Italian
resort of San remo, known as the “riviera of flowers.” There,
they’ll enjoy shopping in the busy street markets. Lunch will
be served at a typical Italian restaurant in Vallecrosia.
The winding ride home to Monaco takes guests through
the attractive resort town of Menton. Tonight’s gala dinner
will be at one of the elegant venues reminiscent of the
Belle Époque. During dinner, the Monaco Boys' choir will
entertain. Tonight’s gift: Monaco-made porcelain with the
royal seal.
DAY SIxSay au revoir as we depart via deluxe motor coach to Nice
Airport for the flight home, no doubt full of fond memories of
the magical place we call Monaco.
Most recently, Monaco was awarded the coveted
destination “Pinnacle Award”. And it is easy to see why
because the Principality works so hard to keep the
destination at such a high level in terms of its infrastructure,
deluxe hotels and professionalism of all those who work in
the industry.
Cindy Hoddeson, Director, Meeting & Incentive Sales,
from the Monaco Government Tourist Office in New York
explains, “What’s most rewarding about this award is that it
recognizes Monaco’s dedication to sustainable tourism and
the corporate social responsibility initiatives undertaken by
the New York office every year. This distinction also rewards
the many initiatives encouraging social responsibility and
business promotion developed by our office in collaboration
with Monaco’s Consulate General in New York and the uS
branch of the Prince Albert II of Monaco foundation.”
Stop dreaming and consider making Monaco your next
incentive destination.
Have A rewarding Day…
10 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
Imprint Area: 1" x 1 3/4"
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2 1/2"VaseNon- Breakable
www.groline.com Or Call (800) 637-4823 (9-4PM • M-F • Central) Groline™ • 1 Nursery Road • Box 878 Georgetown, TX 78627-0878
IDEA STARTERS
• Trade Shows• Loyalty Gifts
• Corporate Awareness Gifts• Eco-Green Programs
• Direct Mail
• Image Building Gifts• Account Openers• Grand Openings• Special Events• Fund Raisers
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PerfectFor AnyMailing
Extends the life of the product by
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BY: DR. PETER TARLOW
travel
ofTEN THE TourISM industry hears the
complaint that tourists do not deserve special treatment.
Even some Police Departments will make the false claim that
they treat everyone the same, and therefore special attention
provided to visitors is not only wrong but also goes beyond the
parameters of community security. finally, it is not uncommon
to hear that as local citizens pay taxes they deserve better
police protection. Tourism safety ought to be everyone's
business. Tourism is a major economic generator, and tourists
pay taxes both directly to places of lodging and indirectly
through sales taxes or value added taxes. Additionally, a safe
tourism community is the foundation for a safe community.
This may be the reason that many in marketing are now using
the term "Security Marketing". for too long marketing experts
believed that their efforts were meant merely for television and
magazine ads, catch phrases and new branding. All of these
are an important part of marketing, but the savvy marketer now
knows that tourism security marketing is also an essential part
not only of the product's overall quality but also as a way that
outsiders judge the product's viability. Tourism security is more
than mere closed circuit cameras, it is the way that we watch
over the person's health concerns, the food that the visitor
consumes, the lessening of risks, the development of safe and
clean streets and our ability to sell a product that satisfies not
only our guests but also our residents.
To help tourism professionals and marketers explain the
importance of tourism security to both their local government
officials and to local police departments here are a few pointers
that may help.
Safe Tourism…Produces a Whole New World of Marketing Opportunities
12 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
• Locals also frequent their community's tourism
districts. Tourism districts are often the places in a community
with the highest concentration of restaurants and nightlife
establishments. The local citizenry also uses and frequents
these same locations. robbers do not know the difference
between a local and a visitor, and if visitors are not safe in
these districts then neither are the locals who visit these same
tourism zones.
• Almost anyone visiting a community for purposes
of economic development begins as a visitor. Communities
seek economic development and those people that scout
new locations in which to open
businesses first start out as visitors.
If they do not feel safe, then the
odds are that they will not come.
Protecting visitors is another way
to assure economic growth and
vitality.
• Most criminals are equal
opportunity thieves. It is very
rare for a criminal to know or care
about whom he or she is robbing.
Criminals are as prepared to steal or
rob a local as well as a visitor. on the
other hand, visitors are often easier
targets than are locals and criminals
know that there is a lower possibility
that visitors will report the crime or
return to prosecute the criminal. A
community that is uninviting for
criminals to prey on tourists is even
less inviting for criminals to prey on
the local population.
• Training restaurateurs,
hoteliers, cab drivers and other
tourism providers in basic tourism
security provides them with the
necessary tools in case some one from the local population
is also attacked. Learning such key safety rules as: When
we train people when to call or not to call emergency
police numbers such as 911 in the united States then both
members of the community and visitors are safer. When
an incident does occur the police are more likely to solve
the crime if they receive an accurate and brief description
of where the incident occurred, about what time it occurred
and if the perpetrator is still at the scene of the crime or
has fled. Teaching locals how to describe a suspect's
race, height, weight, hair color and any other distinctive
characteristics improves both local and tourism security.
• Good tourism safety implies safe shopping
experiences. Shopping is the number one "tourism sport." That
means that good tourism safety demands that shoppers are
able to spend money in local malls and business districts that
form the commercial heart of any community. Good tourism
security means that both locals and visitors alike can frequent
stores and not have to worry about purse-snatchers, parking
lot theft and muggers who often frequent these districts. It
also means that both citizens and visitors alike need not be
bothered by people harassing them or
by issues of prostitution.
• Many of the basic rules of
tourism security are often applicable
to community security. for example
when we teach visitors tourism
security principles such as: they
should always park in areas that are
well lit and well-traveled, not to carry
and show large amounts of cash, or
to be vigilant around cash machines,
then we are also setting the stage for
a local community's safety. Locals,
as much as tourists, often leave
valuables in their vehicles, may be
harassed or even robbed by street
"salesmen" or con artists, and are
subject to crimes of distraction such
as pickpockets.
• Both visitors and local
citizens need good, safe, and well-lit
streets. Tourism security demands
streets with good signage, proper
lighting and streets that are pothole
free. These same basic qualities
are essential for local citizens as
well and not only help to prevent crime but also assure car
safety.
• Private tourism security and even bouncers add to
a community's overall sense of safety. Some communities
have developed private-public partnerships so that the media,
private security firms and police work together to assure that
places of assembly such as bars, hotels and restaurants not
only remain safe but also add to the economic vitality of a
community.
When an incident does occur the police
are more likely to solve the crime if they receive an accurate and brief description of where the incident occurred, about what time it occurred and if the perpetrator is still
at the scene of the crime or has fled.
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 13www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
marketingBY: MICHAEL CROOKS
LAST MoNTH I provided insight into what experienced
promotional marketing consultants are looking for in a client.
My goal was to give you the best shot at having access to the
brightest and the best consultants available. This month, I’ll
share what you should look for in a promotional marketing
consultant. I’ll also share examples of what an experienced
consultant can do for you from some of the best and brightest
consultants from across the country.
In any profession, there are different levels of competency.
using extremes to make my point, there’s Wal-Mart and
there’s Neiman Marcus. There’s shopping on main street and
there’s shopping on rodeo Drive. There’s cubic zirconia …
and there’s diamond. In the promotional marketing arena there
are order-takers and then there are Promotional Marketing
Consultants.
Max Tollens Jr., Tollens Office Resources in Greene, NY,
makes a distinction between a consultant and an order-taker.
He believes a consultant offers expert help in the areas of
marketing, products and service. on the other hand, the
Internet product peddlers and order-takers merely take
your order without questions or comments — thus enabling
mediocrity.
On Buying Promotional Products:Are You Being Helped …
or Enabled?
14 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
“In order for their best interest to be served, corporate
end-users should be looking for promotional consultants who
will partner with them to solve problems,” says Tollens. “for
instance, we learn corporate policies regarding use of our
client’s logos. We also seek to understand corporate attitudes
regarding what type and quality of promotional items they’ve
used in their past marketing efforts.”
Tollens says he often conducts brainstorming sessions
with clients who, at the start, want a specific type of
promotional item. often, after an exchange of ideas brings a
new perspective to light, they go with something better suited
to their promotional objectives.
“I believe the ideal promotional consultant will ask
questions before ever opening a catalog or showing samples,”
says Tollens. “I've counseled my corporate
contacts to ask questions of those who ask
them to source products, such as: 1. Who
is the target audience? 2. What is the goal
of their promotion? I believe this makes my
inside contacts more valuable to their own
organization and leads to more suitable
product selection.”
Another area where an experienced
promotional marketing consultant can be a
big asset is in the area of pricing. I’m not
talking about shopping an experienced
consultant against the web to see who can
go lower. I’m talking about partnering with
a consultant to achieve the best long-term balance between
price, quality and service. And yes, if your consultant is good,
you can get all three.
Paul Schweitzer, president of CompleteSource in Grand
rapids, MI uses in-house software to quickly build a web
store from which his clients can order online. The orders are
pooled, held then submit to the manufacturing plant quickly
and efficiently.
“We successfully use what we call “close and ship” dates
for pooling orders, “ says Schweitzer. “We work with the
client to develop a list of items, a date by which they need to
place orders and a date the order will ship. This information
is pushed out to all their sales people, branches, ordering
units, etc. We then pool all the smaller orders into one large
order for cost savings to all parties without the client having
to coordinate the process.”
Another tactic, for those who have the ability to plan, is to
utilize a release program. Phil Baker, CAS, owner of Baker
Creative Agency in Pace, fL explains, “I have several clients
that use thousands of BIC® pens throughout the year. I’ve
shown them how to order a whole year's worth up front and
then receive allotments throughout the year thus getting them
a better price on the higher quantity break.”
In today’s economy, Baker’s strategy can also insulate you
from price increases throughout the year. And it’s also a great
strategy if you’re short on storage space, or requisitioning
from your own warehouse is a hassle.
Sometimes, even though your eye is on ways of saving
money, new creative concepts can emerge. Jen Lyles, lead
igniter at fireSign, Inc., Atlanta, GA has developed some great
tactics to ignite company morale and teamwork stemming
from her eye on the bottom line for her clients.
“Some clients don’t know that as long as they keep the
same ink color and art on t-shirts, we can switch up the colors
of shirts for no additional cost. This works well for color-coding
departments or teams when building company morale,”
says Lyles. “I’ve found it an effective way
for my corporate clients to build cohesive
units through friendly competition. Thought
must be given to the ink and shirt color
combinations. But as an experienced
promotional marketing consultant, my
clients expect me to take care of that for
them.”
Lyles has developed another successful
tactic in schools using logoed poker chips
that can easily apply to corporate team
building.
“I call it my Stack The Chips In Your favor
program,” says Lyles. It’s an effective way
to increase event attendance. The student
receives a poker chip at each event. They save them up and
redeem them at the school store for larger logoed items.”
Schools can underwrite the cost of the larger items by
co-branding the items with an appropriate local business
that wants to promote themselves to the student body.
Businesses and corporations can do the same thing. But
more to the point, is the application of logoed poker chips
in the corporate setting. Human resources can use them as
a reward for attendance or training fulfillment. Management
can use them to reward people who attend meetings, meet
deadlines or achieve goals. The program can be set up to
allow individuals to redeem the chips for individual rewards
ranging from time off to logoed merchandise and gift cards.
In team events, team members can pool their chips together,
reinforcing the team concept, with the team that earns the
most chips winning.
An experienced promotional marketing consultant has their
finger on the pulse of the promotional marketing industry, their
foot in the door of proven manufacturers and their mind full
of ideas, concepts and strategies of which you may never be
aware. All of which can help you get a firm grasp on brilliant
results.
“Some clients don’t know that as long as
they keep the same ink color and art on t-shirts,
we can switch up the colors of shirts for no
additional cost.”
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 15www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
BY: MARTIN LINDSTROM
branding
16 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
As the international financial downturn continues, so
does the test of branding.
I’m sure you’d agree with me that the easiest strategy
for securing a couple more customers is to reduce the
price of your product or service. But, needless to say,
this is also a strategy, which will damage your brand,
weakening it in the eyes of consumers. As soon as the
economy starts looking up, your discounted brand will
be cast aside in favour of those perceived to be market-
leaders. Your competitors will generate customer
loyalty and you’ll lose the customer you thought you’d
harnessed.
So, no matter how tempting the price-reducing
strategy might seem, don’t adopt it. The world of branding
offers you a lot of other survival strategies, based both
on rationality and emotion. Here are a couple of hints to
help you generate sales in the hard times and to even
bond your brand more strongly to your customers.
1. Offer mOre value fOr the same price. We see this technique in action every day. It isn’t
perceived as a price reduction, rather as adding
customer value. for example, Pepsi might offer 25%
more cola in its already gigantic bottles for the usual
price. Interestingly, and this is a fact, consumption
increases. And consumer perception doesn’t ascribe a
price reduction, and consequential downgrading of the
brand, to the offer. Instead, customers perceive the offer
as being a nice gesture on the brand’s part.
offering greater value is a versatile strategy that can
be adopted in a variety of ways. You could offer extra long
warranties, special updates on product improvements…
you name it. Get creative about how you can increase
your brand’s value to your customers without altering
the price. research shows that, far from downgrading
the customer’s estimation of the brand, the technique
increases customer incentive to purchase the product.
2. Wrap yOur prODuct in mOre than just prODuct features.
recently I sat myself in the driver’s seat of a BMW.
To my irritation I found I had to turn my body around 180
degrees to reach the seat belt. The feature seemed an
inconsiderate rather than beneficial one. But, as BMW
explained to me, the reason for the body-turning stretch
was for safety. By obliging the car’s occupants to turn
around to get the seatbelt, the design ensures they notice
what’s happening on the sidewalk, see any approaching
cyclists, check for any oncoming impediment to the
safe removal of the car into the carriageway. Suddenly
a small feature became a valuable piece of brand
information, building my opinion of the BMW brand and
strengthening my loyalty to it.
So, features of your brand you may have considered
negligible can be used to give consumers another
reason to choose your brand. I’m sure your product or
service includes facilities and potential attractions not
yet discovered or understood by your customers. But,
as you can see from the BMW example, these can be
extremely valuable loyalty-enhancers. You simply have
to demonstrate and interpret them for your customers.
3. humanize yOur branD. That interpretation can become a story that makes
a brand unique. The Diners Club story is one example.
once upon a time a lawyer took some of his most
important clients out to dinner. The restaurant was
a special one, the menu studded with high prices. To
the host’s alarm, he received a bill at the end of the
night with an amount greater than he’d anticipated. He
couldn’t cover it with the cash he had with him. To avoid
this embarrassment in the future, he resolved to invent
a means of paying cash without needing to carry any
money. And so the Diners Club credit card, the world’s
first, was born. Such a story could well be used to
strengthen ties between the card’s customers and the
Diners Club brand. The story is memorable because
it’s about people and, because of this simple fact; it
reflects values we can relate to; Needless to say that
the importance of you ensuring that your online brand
is humanized is essential for your success. Still today, 8
years after the first appearance of the World Wide Web,
people still feel that offline brands are more human than
online brands. Naturally the history has a lot to do with
this fact – what has been around for a long time – often
is more natural to us. finding the human story for your
online brand is therefore essential for you to build even
stronger brand bonds.
The common denominator between the above three
loyalty-generating techniques is their avoidance of a
price focus. Think rational; think emotional; increase
perceived value and humanize your brand. You’ll
generate sales and build bonds between consumers
and your brand.
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 17www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
out side the boxBY: KYLE PARKS
IN A TIME of smaller advertising budgets, many
companies wrestle with this question: How can we leverage
public relations with our marketing efforts to get us more
business?
To start this discussion, it’s important to understand the
difference between marketing and Pr…
In general, marketing is the process used to determine
what products or services may be of interest to which
customers, and to develop the best strategy to use in sales,
communications and business development. Most often,
marketing directly involves selling via advertising, websites,
brochures and collateral materials, tied to follow-up through
customer relationship management (CrM).
Public relations focuses on your company’s reputation,
credibility and standing in your industry and community. Pr
professionals help companies communicate with their target
audiences via news media, newsletters, corporate blogs
and social media. often, Pr includes two-way discussion
and feedback, through such channels as community forums
and social media, and can give a company early warning on
potential issues.
Marketing generates leads for your business and cultivates
your customer base, while Pr helps you build credibility. And
while Pr works in tandem with marketing efforts to sell your
products and services, Pr also can help increase your lead-
to-sale ratio and your search-engine ranking on the Internet.
Marketing and Pr efforts are strongest when working in
tandem. With that in mind, here are five things to consider in
improving how your marketing and Pr programs work better
together:
1. integrate yOur marketing anD public relatiOns planning.
The strongest messages defining your unique selling
proposition are carried through public relations and marketing.
Integrating your marketing and Pr efforts ensures that your
messaging is consistent, and helps your Pr team identify
engaging content for their efforts.
Integrating Pr and marketing planning helps to ensure that
time or money isn’t wasted on targeting media outlets and
people who don’t matter the most to your business. It makes
sense to target the same media outlets for your marketing
and Pr efforts. Every dollar and staff hour counts, and that is
Working Together…Marketing and Public Relations
18 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
leading many companies to more tightly target their outreach
efforts. As traditional, general-interest business news outlets
shrink or disappear, many companies (especially B2B
companies) are placing more attention on industry-specific
publications and websites.
Beyond making sure your marketing and Pr
team members are working together, two other
key groups to engage are your company’s
sales force and customer service staff. The
salespeople know about customer hot buttons
and success stories, along with objections to
overcome in getting new business and what
your competition has to offer. The customer
service team will be able to tell you whether
your company is delivering on what it promises
– a key to building credibility and in generating
repeat business and referrals.
2. pr prOfessiOnals bring an Objective perspective.
Part of a Pr professional’s job includes having a good
sense of how your company will be viewed by the outside
world as you push out messaging via ads or news. By talking
about how everyone from the news media to people in your
target markets might react to messaging or materials, their
perspective can supply an important second opinion on your
marketing efforts.
Also, Pr pros can help ensure that your marketing isn’t
being seen as disingenuous. It’s critical that as you tout
your business, you have confidence that your promises
ring true, both with your target customers and with the
public in general.
3. pr helps stretch yOur marketing spenDing.
As you think about ways to announce new products or
achievements, Pr can expand your audience beyond those
you can reach with paid advertising.
Coverage by news media provides credibility to your news,
and Internet search engines – which are constantly becoming
more sophisticated – greatly value this third-party verification
as it considers your company and its products in search
rankings.
And even if you have a relatively small company, that
doesn’t mean that you can’t get attention. To many industry
trade news publications and websites, the quality of your
material and submissions, such as guest columns and news
releases, mean every bit as much as how big a company
you are.
4. pr prOfessiOnals can help yOu create a system fOr getting leaDs frOm yOur existing base.
Marketing programs often focus on generating new leads
from scratch, which is certainly important. But what are you
doing to keep in touch with people in your industry who could
refer business, or with people you did business with a few
years ago?
Pr professionals can help you create your own audience
using targeted e-mail newsletters and social media to deliver
smart, engaging and helpful content. These efforts can
enhance your company’s expert status while keeping in touch
with this potentially large audience of customers, former
customers, colleagues and friends.
Social media can do a great job in building audiences
for such businesses as restaurants and consumer product
marketers, while an e-newsletter can be powerful for any
type of business. one of our clients, a florida commercial
real estate broker, got a major listing and a sale as a result of
consistently connecting with people through her newsletter
over a six-month period.
5. telling yOur stOry thrOugh yOur custOmers makes a Difference.
Some people think of a testimonial as a simple quote such
as, “I think xYZ Corp. is a great company, and I recommend
them highly.” Instead, smarter marketers are using real,
detailed customer stories that recount bottom-line-oriented
successes to lend credibility to what a company does. If
possible, create customer testimonials in video in addition
to written form to evoke strong emotions and get people
engaged.
from a marketing perspective, these stories can supply
compelling content for your website and collateral material.
And in terms of Pr, news coverage can be greatly enhanced
if you can offer reporters access to customers they can
interview.
Potential customers want to know if you deliver on what
you promise, whether you truly understand their needs, and
whether you can make a difference for them. What better way
to prove your worth to potential customers than showing how
you helped people who are like them? It works.
Some people think of a testimonial as a simple quote such as, “I think XYZ Corp. is a great company, and I recommend them highly.” Instead, smarter marketers are using real, detailed customer stories that recount bottom-line-oriented successes to lend credibility to what a company does.
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 19www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
ForesightBY: STEvE WOODBuRN
Five Ways to Help Shift the Paradigms in Your Life
STEPHEN CoVEY TELLS the story of riding
the subway when a man gets on with his two young sons.
The boys start running all over the place, making noise and
bothering others around them. finally, irritated, Covey asks
the man if he wouldn’t mind doing something to control his
children and the man, looking weary and broken, apologizes.
He says they’ve just come from the hospital where his wife,
their mother, passed away. Covey’s view of the situation
changed immediately and he looked at the children and the
man differently given the new information.
That’s a paradigm shift or a sudden change in your
point of view, which all of us have at one time or another
experienced. These shifts, sometimes seismic, have
occurred throughout history. Thousands of years ago our
foremothers and fathers used to roam from place to place in
search of food, but at some point the idea of farming came
to be. All of a sudden people could stay put, build homes
and cities and grow their own food. It was a known fact the
earth was flat, until it wasn’t. More recently the introduction
of the PC in the mid-1970’s turned our world upside down
followed a few decades later by the widespread public
use of the Internet. Apple changed forever the way we
listen to music with the introduction of their iPod a decade
ago and because of social media, future generations
will communicate and relate to one another in ways our
grandparents couldn’t have imagined.
Paradigm shifts are those “ah ha” moments we
experience when we all of a sudden see a new way of doing
something. It’s finding a new way to sell your products,
developing a more streamlined process for invoicing
customers or perhaps finally understanding a math problem
that has perplexed you. or it could be something as simple
as finding a shortcut that saves you time when creating an
Excel spreadsheet.
Can we willing shift paradigms to make changes in our
lives? The answer is a definitive maybe! The truth is we can’t
become what we hope to be, or help change the world in
positive ways, if we aren’t willing to change. Although there
is no formula I’ve found that will instantly change the habits
and paradigms in our lives there are a variety of techniques
I’ve used that can help precipitate those changes:
1. Spend time thinking. It’s easy to push through our
daily lives getting done the things that need to get done
without ever considering how we might perform those tasks
better. I’ve found that if I spend 10-15 minutes, usually early
in the morning, focusing on a specific task and how I can
do it differently, ideas begin to flow. It’s important to put
everything else out of your mind (easier said than done)
and look only at the one task. Write that task on a piece
of paper and then write down the ideas that begin to flow
no matter how silly they might seem. This one idea has
20 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
helped me solve vexing problems and create new ways to
gain traction with my business and is an amazing way to put
your brain into high gear and offer up solutions you might
never have considered.
2. Brainstorming. Although similar to #1, I usually
brainstorm with others because as they say, two heads, or
three or four, are better than one. Again, be specific about
the topic for brainstorming otherwise the session can break
down into chaos. There are all sorts of resources on the web
that can help guide a brainstorming session. These sessions
can be great because not only will they aid in paradigm shifts,
but build teams that become energized and engaged.
3. Surf the Web. I’ve found entering a search term in
Google or Yahoo or Bing can take me down roads I never
would have thought of on my own. one thing leads to another
and soon you’re seeing ideas and strategies you might
never have thought of. Include YouTube in your meandering
because there are nuggets in those hundreds of millions of
videos that might offer the breakthrough you’re looking for.
4. Read. Stop by a bookstore or newsstand and look at
magazines and books you normally wouldn’t pick up. When
you’re in customer’s offices take a look at the magazines in
the waiting room as they many times are industry related
and will offer a perspective you aren’t typically privy to.
5. Change your internal dialogue. This is probably
the hardest of all, but critical to successfully changing the
paradigms in your life. Your subconscious takes all the things
you say to yourself during your waking hours and works to
make it reality. If your thoughts are negative, guess what?
Similarly, if your thoughts are positive, chances are you will
be happier and less stressed. Program yourself to be open
to change, to look at things with a new perspective and see
what happens.
The ongoing evolution of our society and the world, in
every aspect down to the microscopic, is God’s way of
shifting paradigms. The only constant in our world is change
and those who are open to change and open to paradigm
shifts will ultimately be those who achieve their goals and
find the happiness we all long for.
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 21www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
BY: BARRY SISKIND
exhibit
IN A PrEVIouS article titled: Your Customer
Profile – Part 1 – “The value of creating a customer profile”,
I spelled out five reasons why your exhibit program will
benefit from the time you take to understand your customer:
These five were:
1. It is good marketing
2. It helps you focus your exhibit planning
3. It helps you focus your exhibit staff
4. It allows you to create good customer engagement
5. It reveals methods of follow-up
Now it’s time to turn to the second part of the discussion,
which answers the question of how you actually create a
profile.
Do you know your customer? I don’t mean whether their
name is Antonio or Jessica, but rather, do you understand
who they are as people and what motivates them?
for many marketers this presents a major dilemma. They
mistakenly assume that their product, service or program
has broad appeal and that creating a customer profile will
limit the scope of their marketing reach. Some assume that
their potential customers may not know that they have a
need and all it takes is a bit of persuasion. others assume
that the product is a one of a kind with a wide appeal. So
the first step is to define your customer - the person who will
buy, recommend or authorize the budget for your product
or service.
This may sound like a broad approach but upon closer
examination you see that the person you are targeting has
identified a problem and is actively searching for a solution
either for their company or themselves.
Next ask what information you need in order to identify
this person. The answer is uncovered when you use four
basic marketing tools: demographics, psychographics,
behavioural and causation data.
Demographics answer the question, “Who is my
customer?” It is an analysis of all the pertinent data that
defines the characteristics of your customer. Demographics
enable you to segment your overall customer base into
helpful categories.
In a business-to-customer example, you may define
your customer demographics in the following terms:
age, income, gender, geography, profession, education,
wealth, family makeup, nationality, homeowner/renter,
etc. for business-to-business focus the demographics
qualifiers may include: size of company, type of products
sold, revenue, budget, number of employees, number of
branches, ownership, industry, industry sector, age, and
so on.
Psychographics answer the question, “What do they
do?” This is a chance to examine your target audience’s
attitudes, beliefs, and emotions. The following are samples
of psychographic variables in the business-to-customer
Your Customer ProfilePart 2 – How to Create a Customer Profile
22 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
Your Customer ProfilePart 2 – How to Create a Customer Profile
Take the time to compete the table below.
High Medium Low Not at All
Price
Brand name
Status
Variety
Convenience
Warranty
Salespeople
Customer service
Promotion
Payment terms
Quality
Flexibility
Other
By understanding demographic, psychographic, behavioral and causation data, you have developed a clear portrait of your
customer. Your analysis may also reveal that you have more than one customer profile.
Creating customer profiles may sound like an onerous task particularly for those companies who do not have dedicated
market research personnel but with a bit of planning you and your staff can use each customer interaction as an opportunity to
learn a bit more about these people. once you get in the habit of collecting research you will wonder how you ever managed
without it.
marketplace: family stage, hobbies, status awareness,
outside interests, leisure time, social responsibility,
lifestyle, charitable affiliations, etc. In the business-to-
business marketplace, psychographic elements include:
social responsibility, environmental conscience, business
style, position within an industry, innovations, affiliations,
employee relations, workforce type, management style,
employee remuneration, shareholder relations, and
so on. By adding psychographics to the demographic
information, you increase the richness of your customer
understanding.
Behavioral inquiries answer the question “How do they
do what they do?” This is an in-depth look at customer
demographics and psychographics in action. Whether you
are in a business-to-customer or business-to-business
marketplace, you can analyze your customers according to
their habits in terms of the number of times they purchase,
how often, the amount of product purchased, the decision-
making cycle, and where the purchase was made.
Causation analysis answers the question, “Why do
they do what they do?” Causation is the sum total of all
the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data you
have accumulated. It matches up your features and benefits
with your customers’ perception of their importance. Take
a look at the chart below. In the column to the left I have
assumed, for demonstration’s sake, that your company’s
features are price, brand, variety and so on. If none of my
suggestions ring true then replace them with the features of
your product or service and continue with the exercise.
If you can complete it quickly, congratulations—you
know your customer well. If not, consider consulting your
customers. Ask them how they rank your features in order
of importance. If, for example, you find your customers’
primary need is price, then offering a “show special” at
your booth might be helpful. If you find that status ranks
high on your customers’ wish list, then participating in a
show that attracts the cream of the crop will make a lot of
sense.
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 23www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
extra measuresBY: JOHN TSCHOHL
AS THE ECoNoMIC turnaround continues
to be elusive, getting and keeping a job—not to mention
getting a promotion and making more money—can be more
than a little difficult. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s
impossible. In fact, when times are tough, you might well
have a better chance of climbing the corporate ladder than
when business is booming. That might sound ridiculous, but
it’s true.
If your company, like so many others throughout the country
and the world, is struggling to increase sales and profits, it’s
not unusual for employees to feel pressured and to develop
a negative attitude about their jobs and the company. That
atmosphere gives you the perfect opportunity to stand out,
get the attention of executives, and get promoted.
Too many employees think that they will work harder only
if they are paid more. My theory is this: Work hard and the
money will come. Work smart and the money will come.
If you want not only to keep your job, but to get promoted
and make more money, take these steps:
Be the first to arrive and the last to leave. Do whatever is
necessary to get the job done and done right.
Do more than required. When you ask to take on more
responsibility, you send a message that you are committed
to your job and your company.
If It Isn’t you, you could be In trouble
WHO CONTROLS YOUR DESTINY?
24 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
focus on speed. Do everything faster than anyone else
does it. Don’t, however, sacrifice accuracy.
Maintain a positive attitude. When times are tough and
the work seems overwhelming, don’t complain. Don’t bad-
mouth your boss and coworkers. Look around you; there
are thousands of people who have lost their jobs and would
be happy to take your place.
Learn everything you can about your job, your company,
and your industry. read trade magazines and learn about
your company’s competition. Set a monthly budget for
personal development and use that money to purchase
books on self-improvement and customer service, then
read them and study them. Develop your people skills; they
are just as important as technical skills. How you deal with
customers and coworkers will set you apart.
Build your self-esteem and self-worth. In doing so, you
will remove self-imposed limitations that will prevent you
from accomplishing your goals and dreams. The only thing
standing between you and a promotion is you.
Associate with successful people. If you hang around
with people who have negative attitudes, drink too much, or
do drugs, they will hold you back. When you associate with
successful people, you will raise yourself up.
Ask for advice. Ask your boss and her boss what areas
you need to develop in order to move up in the organization.
Then develop a game plan and work that plan.
No one is going to push you up the corporate ladder;
you have to climb up on your own. You are responsible
for your own success. That’s something I learned early
in life. I had a low grade point average in college and
barely graduated, but I used more of my skills than
others did. When I was 22, my net worth was $2,270; by
the time I was 30, it was $1 million, and today I achieve
that each year.
It’s difficult for an organization to terminate its highest-
performing employee. Be that employee and, no matter how
dismal the economy gets, you not only will keep your job,
you will get promoted and make more money.
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 25www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
BY: DAvE RIBBLE, MAS
it’s all personal
INTErESTING. WHEN WE ask employers what they are doing
to encourage their employees to work harder, smarter and to contribute to the
company’s continued growth, we commonly hear “….well, they’re lucky to
have jobs in this economy, so that should be enough incentive, right there.”
And yet, when we ask employees to tell us what they are looking for in their
job and career, we hear that while they do appreciate having a job in the midst
of so much economic unrest, they are nonetheless looking for recognition, to
feel they have a ‘voice’ in what goes on, the knowledge they will be rewarded
for dreaming up new ways of doing things and maybe even new products and
services the company can offer.
Whether you do it for just the Holiday bonus or you do it at various times
and for various objectives all year long, let me pose to you this question:
What if there was a way to (1) move your company forward, (2) recognize
and reward the innovative contributions of your employees and (3) have this
program pay for itself because of the great ideas you get in the process?
fortune ran a story some years back about “What 25-Year-olds Want”,
pointing to the ‘Baby Busters’ who were turning down promotions because they
recognized that just more money and a nicer office didn’t necessarily equate
to better quality of life. for some Boomers that was probably a real head-
scratcher, but look more closely at what you can do with this information.
Your employee workforce represents a vast resource of innovative ideas
to help your company grow, and, frankly, America needs your company to
grow! What kind of things might improve your business, your market-share,
WANT TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS NOW? INCENTIVIZE!
26 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
your revenues and profits to your bottom line?
What could happen if you really turned loose your
creative workforce? What if you set into place a
great rewards program to get them thinking more
innovatively than ever before?
The right incentive program will do this and pay
for itself, too. List out all the areas of your business
that might need some tweaking, but do not limit your
list to the obvious. Yes, customer service needs
to be improved because every customer service
department in the universe could be improved.
But, what about other ways to streamline costs or
make accounting tasks more efficient? What cost
reductions are seemingly hiding and waiting to be
discovered? Moreover, what are the potential direct
dollar values you can equate to improvements this
program comes up with?
Whatever you do, don’t limit employees in
one department or division from being able to
brainstorm those other areas of your business,
because you could be shortchanging yourself
in the process. rich, innovative thinking comes
most easily when there are no barriers. Make a
list of all the parts of your business, from retention
of good employees to reducing accidents and
days off, you can practically equate a dollar
figure to every good idea someone one dreams
up. How much, for example, will the ideas for
saving energy in your plant actually improve
your bottom line over the next five years? What
amount of new revenue could be generated if
your incentive program fires up the people inside
who support your outside sales force and they
come up with new ways to gain attention for your
products and services? What amount of additional
market-share might come about if creative new
ways were developed for reconnecting with old
accounts or proactively further solidifying your
relationship with present ones?
Every idea, no matter how seemingly absurd on
the surface, should be encouraged, because you
just never know where it might lead. Ideas create
more ideas, if you encourage them.
The right incentive programs can more than pay
for themselves when they are structured, optimally,
through points rewarded and when those points
equate to the value of the ideas brought forth. If
someone comes up with an idea that will save you
a thousand dollars a month, or, for that matter,
makes your company another thousand dollars
every month, was it worth the effort?
Here’s another fact about why these programs
work. research clearly shows that cash given to
an employee almost always goes for paying bills.
Wait about 6 months and ask them to show you
what they did with the money and they’ll search
their memory for an answer.
By contrast, incentive programs that offer
employees and their families a catalog of choices
of many items they truly want but perhaps cannot
afford or items they would not ordinarily go out and
purchase on their own can be very effective. You
can create an incentive program that you, and they,
can point to months and perhaps even years later as
a successful tradeoff for the ideas they contributed
to the team. Imagine how your employees will feel
from this, knowing they are being recognized and
that what they say really does matter.
Let me say it again: We all need for you to be
successful because when you are successful it
helps move all of us forward. The right incentive
program will help you tap into resources you may
be missing, that are right under your nose, by
people who clearly regard being recognized for
their contributions as more important than money.
What might a few months of unbridled innovative
thinking produce that can enhance your company’s
future? Moreover, what do you think this will do for
the morale of your employees in the process?
It sounds to me like all upside and little, if any,
cost to you, comparatively speaking. So, what are
you waiting for?
September 2011 • Brilliant Results 27www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
BY: DONNA FuRRuGIA
situations
facebook may be where you catch up with pals, but a
new survey by The Creative Group confirms it’s increasingly
a place for business. Nearly half (46 percent) of advertising
and marketing executives interviewed said they currently
use facebook for professional purposes. fifty-six percent of
respondents expect to take advantage of this social network
for business in the next three years.
The national study was developed by The Creative Group
and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based
on more than 500 telephone interviews -- approximately
375 with marketing executives randomly selected from
companies with 100 or more employees and 125 with
advertising executives randomly selected from agencies
with 20 or more employees.
Advertising and marketing executives were asked,
When respondents were asked to estimate what
percentage of their facebook friends are business or
professional contacts, the mean response was 21 percent.
Thus, chances are, nearly everyone you know…from your
dentist to your colleague… is a part of at least one online
community. Whether it’s facebook, Twitter or Google+,
people are finding social networks useful for expanding their
professional contact base, mining information that can help
them in their careers, and showcasing their strengths and
industry expertise.
The Creative Group offers five ideas for maximizing social
networks to boost your career:
1. Divide and conquer. Not everyone in your social
network needs to know about your friday dinner plans or
musings on the latest blockbuster movie. Segment your
friend lists so professional contacts aren’t inundated with
updates they wouldn’t want to… or shouldn’t… see. Also
check your privacy settings to control who has access to
what information.
2. Be a guru. Share nuggets of useful information with
your business contacts, and offer advice when they ask for
recommendations or ideas.
3. Give and you shall receive. Be generous with your
contacts by offering to make introductions or sharing useful
information they post with your own network.
4. use photo features. Even if you maintain a personal
website or digital portfolio, you can provide your online
contacts with a snapshot of your latest professional project
or even your entire body of work. Creating albums on flickr
or facebook, or using Twitpic or similar photo-sharing tools,
is an easy way to visually show potential clients or employers
your career accomplishments and showcase new skills.
5. resist the urge to rant. Never say anything disparaging
about your current or former company, coworkers, clients
or other business contacts. You never know who might see
your comments and forward them on.
for additional etiquette tips on using social and
professional networking sites, download Business Etiquette:
The New rules in a Digital Age, at www.roberthalf.us/
businessetiquette. The comprehensive guide was developed
by robert Half, The Creative Group’s parent company, and
contains insights from industry experts on a wide range of
topics.
More information, including online job-hunting
services, candidate portfolios and The Creative Group’s
award-winning career magazine, can be found at www.
creativegroup.com.
MORE THAN ‘FRIENDS’
“Do you currently use Facebook for professional
or business purposes?” Their responses:
Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46%No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54% 100%
Executives also were asked, “Do you think you
will use Facebook for professional or business
purposes within the next three years?” Their
responses:
Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56%No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44% 100%
28 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
Ad Index / Web resource Guide3M ® ......................................................... www.3M.com/promote
3M ® ....................................................... www.3M.com/promote ............................Back Cover
Aprons, Etc ............................................. www.apronsetc.com ................................................ 7
Brilliant results™ Magazine .................. www.brilliantpublishing.com ............................21, 29
Display Solutions .................................. www.displaysolutions.net ........................................ 7
Groline © ............................................. www.groline.com ...............................................5, 11
Magazine Publishers of America ........... www.Earth911.com ................................................ 25
Motivation Show .................................... www.motivationshow.com ........................................ 2
The Homeschool Handbook Magazine .. www.thehomeschoolhandbook.com ..................... IBC
Warwick ................................................ www.warwickpublishing.com ................................IfC
september advertiser’s index
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September 2011 • Brilliant Results 29www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
adviceBY: DR. BARTON GOLDSMITH
WHEN You WANT to move your life forward but you just can’t seem
to get out of your own way, sometimes all you may need is a bit of a rest.
Some days may be harder than others are to get things done. You might
be feeling a little blue, things could be uncomfortable at home or at work, and
the stars may not be in alignment. All in all, the day just doesn’t seem to be
going the way you’d like it to. It can get so bad that you don’t even know what
direction you would like to head.
As long as this doesn’t happen too often, on days like this, it’s okay to be
gentle with yourself. You may be able to sleep it away. If you can take the day
off, or if it’s a weekend, you can let those close to you know what you’re doing
and allow yourself to take a nap for a little while. This can be very healing, but
if you do it more than once a week, there may be deeper issues going on.
If you have too much energy to be sedentary, go the opposite way and
get some exercise. Getting your body moving is your most accessible (and
cheapest) antidepressant and also works to lower your anxiety. The list of
benefits goes on forever, so there is no downside. I know it can be hard to get
going when you’re down in the dumps, but you have to keep saying to yourself
that the results are worth the effort. Even if you only take a gentle fifteen-
minute walk, it will get some endorphins flowing through your body and may
change your mood entirely.
Don’t try to take on huge projects or solve the world’s problems. There are
some days when even the smartest and strongest people need a break. You
are not wrong, bad, or evil for needing some time off. If your body and brain
require some rest, and you don’t allow it to happen, you will make mistakes,
and other problems will pop up because you can’t focus your attention to the
task at hand. Better to let it go for a day than to make a half-hearted attempt
that can cause more issues.
If you can’t actually get out of the house, and taking a nap doesn’t sound
appealing, try making lists of things you would like or need to do. It will help
you in organizing your priorities, and you will feel like you’ve made a small
accomplishment.
The world has a lot to offer, and most days we are ready, willing, and able to
take on whatever comes our way. But when a bad day happens, know that it’s
not the end of the world but just a sign that you need (and most likely deserve)
some time to recharge.
Life has a way of balancing itself out. Many answers can be found when you
take a break and stop pushing yourself.
Take It Easy When Things Get Tough
30 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com
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