Selling and Advertising Articles

Thoughts of a mormon that supports the rights of same sex couples.
The church whose members were responsible for 4 out of every 5 dollars which funded the advertising campaign in support of proposition 8.

The church that told its California members to get out and knock doors in support of prop 8.

It’s also the church that I happen to belong to.

And from the flavor of this post so far, I’m sure you’ve probably gotten the feeling that I’m not coming down on the same side of this issue as most of the rest of the church membership.

Call me a heretic or a heathen if you want, but I just can’t seem to get my head around the idea that gay marriage actually hurts anyone. Gay people already live together, adopt children, and raise families. What exactly is it that you are trying to prevent here, the ability for gay people to visit their partners in the hospital, or denying one partner custody rights if a couple separates?

I have spoken with many of my peers who feel that restricting gay marriage is not enough.more

Qantas fined for misleading advertising.
Australia”s Qantas Airways has been fined $NZ380,000 ($A337,658) over fare advertising, the Commerce Commission said today, relating to similar charges that Air New Zealand faced earlier this year.

Air NZ was ordered by the Auckland District Court in June to pay $NZ600,000 ($A533,145) in fines, and $NZ65,000 ($A57,757) in costs, after it was found guilty on 112 charges under the Fair Trading Act for misleading advertising.

Air NZ was charged over advertising, mostly between 2001 and 2003, which did not include certain surcharges such as for fuel.

The airline has since moved to using all inclusive prices in its ads.

The penalty was one of the highest ever imposed under the Fair Trading Act for misleading advertising.

NZPA

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Colorado newspaper employees go online with survival plea.
Steep declines in print advertising revenue and circulation as readers go online for news have left many US newspapers in a perilous position.

Many have turned to the Internet in a bid to increase revenue but gains in online advertising revenue have not kept pace with losses on the print side.

The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press unveiled plans last week to cut back home delivery to just three days a week — the first dailies in a major US city to make such a drastic cost-cutting move.

The Cincinnati, Ohio-based Scripps, which owns newspapers in 15 US markets and 10 television stations, reported steep third-quarter losses last month and cut another 400 jobs from its payroll.

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Predictions on 2009.
On the same front, audio ad unit will be the growth area for mobile advertising. So far, the focus has been on visual displays, but as more and more consumers begin using the radio functionality of their mobile devices, we will see ad sales grow.

Music:With labels hurting, bands and brands accelerate their alignment. I believe we will see a lot more experimental and out of the box ideas from advertisers. In music, we can expect more top brands spending advertising dollars to align with individual musicians and bands. The Dr. Pepper”s Chinese Democracy gambit, however unofficial, took advantage of the natural connection by offering to give out a free soda if the Guns and Roses album came out this year. It shows that whatever problems the music industry is facing, a well-matched brand partnership can build real buzz.more

Design Ads: Targeted Advertising for Designers.
The problem, as is always the problem with internet advertising, is finding a simple, cost effective way to bring my ads to potential customers who”re actually looking for my services. Google Ads are one way to try to insure you reach the people you intend to, but advertising networks are another.

Design Ads is a brand new network (doesn”t officially launch until 2009, in fact), which provides a targeted solution for those in the web design field. Ad network models are successful because they ensure a healthy cycle of targeted material that will remain fresh and relevant to viewers, so you”re ad won”t become stale or melt into the background by virtue of visitors seeing it every time they go to a specific site.

The people behind Design Ads clearly know their target market.more

Dealing with multi-generational employees is an art in itself. Young workers want to make a quick impact, they seem to be more up to date, more prompt and more energetic; while the older employees bring an entirely different perspective. They are, in general, more trustworthy, more dedicated and they seldom violate rules.

Now if you are a young entrepreneur, you might find it tough to manage your older employees. Very often, your views on various business issues may differ; at some point of time, you might feel that there is a skill shortage in your elderly workforce; or being more experienced, some of them might try to assert their “supremacy”. Although this might seem a petty workplace issue, you can only live with it for some time. Here are some simple ways that can help you bridge the gap between yourself and your older employees.

1. Don’t hide your weaknesses: An elderly and hence experienced employee can often point out your mistakes correctly. In that case, don’t get defensive. If you do so, it will highlight your weakness and show you up as immature. Remember, there is plenty to learn from the older generation, even if you are their boss!

2. Be a listener: Just because the business is yours, you don’t always need to act as if you know everything. Especially when it comes to your older employees, this kind of attitude will not engender their respect towards you. Value the experience of those who are known to be efficient. A good listener of good, valuable advice always wins. You can also teach your young employees not to hesitate to take their seniors’ help.

3. Create a perfect team: Your first and foremost job is to form a team whose mission is to achieve a common goal. Each and every team player should know that he or she can reach the target only when working together, regardless of and disparity in age. Further, being the team leader, treat all equally and encourage not only your young workforce, but also the older generation to ask for help (even from the juniors) when needed.

4. Provide seniors with training: To avoid skill shortages, you need to provide your older workers with training. Very often, older employees in particular, get overlooked for training. Most employers believe elderly people are typically resistant to change and difficult to train. These are the biggest myths! Research shows that older learners are keener to learn and are as capable as their younger counterparts when it comes to grasping new skills. They love the challenges that come with mastering new tricks.

It is also a fact that employees aged over 50 are likely to stay with their current job until retirement. Hence, it is wiser to incur the cost of training on them, rather than on younger employees who are waiting to move jobs.

5. Be flexible: With age, come limitations that may not allow your older employees to work full time. In that case, consider options like flextime, part-time work, seasonal or contractual arrangements. You can also allow them to work from home. All of these will go a long way in helping you retain your valuable older workforce.

Effective utilization of the expertise and knowledge of older workers can be of great advantage to any company. However, it is little tricky to tackle elderly people, especially when the boss is much younger. Warren Bennis, eminent Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California, says that when managing older workers, a younger manager should imagine how his or her parents would feel being led by him or her, as a way to better understand the sensitive issues concerning the relationship.

Hi, I’m Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net It’s full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us & download our special “Freebie of The Month” at http://www.smartentrepreneur.net/freebie-of-the-month.html

Thousands Alive Thanks to Ads.
Prior to founding VirtueMedia, he spent 25 years in advertising and marketing. His organization is behind the successful CatholicsComeHome.org ad campaign. That campaign aired in Phoenix and Lexington, Ky., during Lent, resulting in thousands of Catholics returning to the Church.

Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted pointed out to me that it”s hard to form people in virtue if they”re not centered on Christ,’ said Peterson. That”s what led to the launch of our second media apostolate, CatholicsComeHome.org project.’

That campaign is scheduled to air in a dozen dioceses in 2009, and Peterson hopes to air ads nationally on a regular basis, with one appearing during the Super Bowl.

In the 30-second crisis-pregnancy ads, multiple women voice their concerns and fears about their pregnancies, saying things like, I was pregnant, and I wasn”t sure what to do.’ The ad lists a toll-free telephone number and the website PregnancyLine.com.more

Latorra, Paul & McCann Wins Nationwide Insurance Northeast Region.
After careful review of its top advertising agencies, Nationwide made this decision to increase the quality of its Co-Op advertising program by consolidating to a fewer number of agencies who can more efficiently and effectively service its Northeast region. Nationwide”s Northeast Sales Region Operations (NESRO) represents more than 600 agent offices in seven states in the northeast U.S.

LP&M will retain all of Nationwide”s New York account, which it has held for ten years, and will gain the New England and Western Pennsylvania accounts. The New England group includes Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

‘LP&M has worked diligently over the years to better align group Co-Op advertising to successfully meet the objectives of Nationwide”s participating agents,’ says Michael Ancillotti, Executive Vice President - Account Services, Latorra, Paul & McCann.more

Sales are great, customers are delighted with your service and the market is on a roll. If this isn’t entrepreneur heaven, then what is? Cut to another scenario - you’re reviewing cash flow with your accountant, and no matter how good the sales look, your business continues to struggle to balance collections with monthly payouts. Despite being delighted by their business dealings with your company, customers have shown a marked reluctance to pay on time - maybe, the extended credit period is the real cause for their happiness! Welcome to the world of debtor management, entrepreneur hell, in other words!

As entrepreneurs, we are so caught up in building sales and acquiring customers, that we often lose sight of the real purpose of business - making money. And for that to happen, we must receive fair payment for our services. No sale is complete unless paid for, and the sooner we swallow that bitter pill, the better. Don’t think that dealing with debtors and their roster of outstanding payments is the work of bean counters alone. As the head of your business, you need to ensure that the entire organization is geared towards this purpose.

Dealing with debtors is neither as unpleasant nor as impossible as it sounds. It only becomes that when matters are neglected for too long. Here are some measures that can prevent that from happening.

Put a system in place. So often, debtors don’t pay on time because no one asks them to! A customer expects to be reminded to make payment, just as he or she is prepared for a sales pitch every now and then. It is funny how many star salespersons fight shy of asking a customer for a payment long due. If a customer detects any slackness in the system, whereby he can get away with delaying payment, you can be sure he will take full advantage. Make sure that your company follows a well scripted process for tracking, reviewing and following up on overdue payments. Also ensure you are closely informed about any habitual defaulters or any large outstanding payments that can leave a lasting impact.

Devise a sensible credit policy. Often, in a bid to wrest share away from competitors, you might be tempted to offer extra lenient terms. In which case, you’d better be prepared for dealing with debtors at a later stage. Do not use credit terms as a tactical advantage to boost sales; that is a defensive move, and could be perceived as a sign of weakness. You can always ease the terms for customers with an impeccable track record, or those that commit large volumes of regular business, but don’t make it a standard operating practice.

Take precaution while signing up. So, you have an idiot proof system in place, and your policies are so tight, even the Fed would nod in approval. And you’re still dealing with debtors every now and then. What gives? Perhaps the answer lies in tightening up the customer evaluation procedure. Whenever you sign up a new buyer, take care to study their credentials from a credit-worthiness point of view. Ask an expert for advice on the best way to assess whether a customer could be a potential credit risk or not. Also, make sure that you validate key financial information provided in the customer’s credit application. And finally, incorporate all the necessary terms and conditions that will protect your interests and facilitate recovery of dues, in the contract that you sign with the customer.

Gearing up your business in the ways described above will make dealing with debtors much more manageable. In the unhappy event that you are still stuck with a couple of tricky customers, you will need to follow a stringent recovery procedure site from where you can easily get all the standard forms that may be required during the process of collecting your debts. Litigation is the last thing you need to embark on, so don’t jump into it before you’ve tried softer measures of persuasion. Generally, a few polite reminders and a letter or two should do the trick. If that doesn’t work, you could engage the services of professional debt collectors such as Fidelity Information Corporation who could reason things out on your behalf. When all else fails, laying down the law is probably the only way of dealing with debtors, but, prudent management and a few precautions can keep you from entrepreneur hell for the most part!

Hi, I’m Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net It’s full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us & download our special “Freebie of The Month” at http://www.smartentrepreneur.net/freebie-of-the-month.html

P&O Cruises to launch multi-million pound TV advertising campaign.
P&O Cruises is to launch a multi-million pound TV advertising campaign on Boxing Day aimed at highlighting the range of experiences on offer on each day of a cruise holiday.

The Every Day is Different campaign will run until March and will also run online, on radio and in national newspapers. The TV campaign will include seven different films, one for each day of the week, and showcase destinations, activities and experiences that make up a P&O Cruises holiday. The films will also be available on the P&O Cruises website.

Head of brand marketing Philip Price said: ‘We believe that every single day of a holiday should count; a holiday with us is not a two week break, it is 14 extraordinary days.’

The company has already announced incentives for the trade during the peak sales “wave” period, including up to 10% bonus commission for travel agents and the chance to win one of 31 cruise holidays on Ventura from now until January 31.more