As I sat in my den last night listening to proposals concerning the government regulating the amount of salt in our foods, I had to stop and wonder what the "ham sandwich" is going on? As Americans, we have always prided ourselves on freedom, that certain inalieanble right that makes this country great. Have we now resigned our freedom to those who know what’s best for us? Has freedom of choice be usurped by societal pacifism? Has the inevitable happened like the scenario in "I Robot" where they are trying to protect us from ourselves?

Seriously?? Part of true freedom is making wrong decision…even if they eventually kill us. How the government has the audacity to try to prevent us from partaking in a legal action is not only offensive, but constitutionally unacceptable. Unfortunately, enough Americans are asleep at the wheel and cannot see the impending doom this proposal will bring. If they are allowed to place regulations on enitre industries for "the greater good", how long before we have a government quality of life commission that will create a list of products and industries that will be deemed detrimental to society. How long before the Internet is seen as a threat to society because of the anti-social nature of its use and the ease with which subversive information can be spread among the electorate?

Just as some Americans are convinced the Healthcare legislation is needed, there will be those who agree with the government stepping in to make sure you don’t do anything to that could be potentially harmful…but where does it end? Should we have legislation to regulate carbs? Should McDonalds have to offer healthy alternatives such as lamb or bison burgers? Should fat people pay more for goods and services because of elevated consumption?

Folks we have to get a grip!! There are no easy answers and many hard choices that have to be made in life, but those choices will never lead to breakthroughs if someone else is making them for you. Stand up and demand the government stick to what we elected them to do…protect our shores and watch over the sovereignty of our nation. Resist the ease and temptation of cradle to grave provision and return to the rugged, tough, "don’t tread on me" individualism that made our country great! In the words of Earl Pitts (Native American Red Neck), WAKE UP AMERICA!! 

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As we draw closer to the end of 2009, there are those who say good riddence and look forward to 2010, but what have they changed to expect a better year? My advice to those seeking a better year is to take full inventory of 2009 and chronicle the good, the bad, and the ugly. What things went well and why? What went horribly wrong, and how many situations you had no idea how you arrived there. We all know the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result, so my question is how insane are you?

On many fronts our nations is facing monumental change, some for the better, but most to our ultimate detriment. What are your strategies based on the curent political climate, potential government intervention, higher taxes, employer mandates, etc.? Will you be able to survive should corporate taxes exceed 40%? What eill be the affect on profitability if you are forced to pay 100% of healthcare costs for your employees?

Before we get too deep into the political aspect, let’s start with the basics. How did you business sector fair in 2009? Were there any major competitors who entered or left the game? How did profitability fair over the past eleven months? Did the slowing economy have any affect on your supply chain? In my observations, 2009 was a year many company decided to comp the dollars from 2008, even if the profitability was down as much as 60%. While this may keep the stakeholders happy, it is not a sustainable business model. Unless there has been a technological innovation that allowed your company to not only purchase inventory cheaper, but receive and distribute your product, the point of diminishing return is looming around the next corner.

Your 2010 strategy shoud begin with a spreadsheet showing sales for 2008, 2009, and your projections for 2010. In each segment of your business analyze the progression from 2008 to 2009 and notate any factors that were different from your projections for 2009. For example, if a major disributor of a crucial component of your product has gone out of business, factor in all related costs of merchandise that need to be serviced, finding a new vendor, retooling your supply chain to include the new vendor, etc. Next, take a look at the budgeting for that segment and once again notate occurences outside of your projections and their causes.

From this point you should begin re-examining you client base. Has the shft in the economy introduced new consumers to your product or has it reduced your base? Has there been a change in the needs of your traditional customers or have they remained consistent in buying patterns? The start of a new year can be a great time to evaluate your product mix and analyze each item to determine its continued existence. Once this determination is made, revisit your 2010 projections and see if it changes.

Finally, we move to marketing. How effective were your campaigns for 2009? Were there any breakthroughs in reaching your client base? How did your marketing differ from your two top competitors? How was ROI in the various marketing and advertising mediums? As you plan your 2010 marketing budget, what will you do differently and why? What empiricl or historic data shows the need for adjustment and what causes you to believe it will work?

Of course, this is just a brief overview to get the wheels turning. This conversation would be too lengthy for this forum, but I hope it will challenge you to make 2010 the year it should be (hope need not apply).

 

 

 

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As a member of several business marketing groups, I constantly invade discussions of how to grow your business during these challenging times. Everyone is looking for the next greatest technique to drive new customers to your business.Whether it is network marketing, multi-level marketing, or viral marketing one key fact remains; "take care of your existing customer base". In a song written by Stephen Stills it says, "if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one your with". No better advice can be given as businesses seek to increase revenue and profits. We may not be able to lure the thousands of members of the various social networks, but we can build a better relationship with the customers we already have.

The best feature of proper client relationship management is the ease with which it can be implemented. If business is slow, take the time to write a letter to your existing customers to thank them for their loyalty. Explain how you would like to partner with them to create a better company and provide products and services that are important to them. Ask them to join you and other customers in a round table discussion, webcast, or any number of low cost conferencing.

During this time find out information concerning their current demographics. The affect of the economy on their purchasing, which items are considered crucial in their daily operations, and the overall affect of the economy on their friends and family. The next step would be to unveil a program of value added services that you have designed to not only maintain their current status as your customer, but create an atmosphere where they describe what they would buy if there has been a extended period since their last purchase. Also, in subsequent sessions, try to become more familiar with your clients; ask them for birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates by using surveys that get into the profile of your customer. Add those facts to your database system and send e-cards to mark those occassions shared.

Once you have established a stronger relationship with your client, ask if they would recommend one other person whom you may contact to broaden the scope of opinions and offer a thank you gift to your client. The new person represents an opportunity to peer into your clients circle of influence and to test the strength of the value added product/service you collectively developed. As you begin dialogue with the new prospect, allow the original client to sit in on discussions to see how the product he/she helped designed is received by a person in their peer group. Just imagine the empowerment your client would feel if it was well recieved and the opportunity for greater partnership should it not. This is truly a win-win for the business and creates a stronger bond with its client base.

I’m sure you are beginning to see through my attempt to cloak the fact that I too am suggesting using viral and social marketing to grow business, but the difference is you are doing it on a personal basis with someone who knows you and now will have a relationship that causes them to want to see you succeed.

 

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No one can deny the popularity of websites such as Twitter, My Space, and the perennial powerhouse Face Book, but have we really greasped what social/viral networking is all about? My fascination with viral marketing was born from You Tube. I was always amazed at the videos whose views exceeded 10 million. Was there a formula for success? Could a smart marketer tap into that secret and make millions for his clients? To this point the answer is "NO!"

I once tracked You Tube videos for six months and found no discernable pattern in what viewers liked and what drove some videos to the astronomical heights we have seen. However, I do believe there is a tipping point in the life of high viewed videos. For example, when a video hits 1 million views, there are a certain percentage of people who will watch it wondering what everyone is so interested in. Given the large number of people on the Web at any given, time it is easy to see how that number would then begin to accerlerate as the people who get interested in 1.2 million, 1.5 million, etc. Beyond that, I have seen videos ranging from a "hot chick farting" to a cross look from a gopher, score upwards of 5 million views (and don’t get me started on "Chocolate Rain").

Moving to the social websites, we have seen explosive growth in the amount of registered users of Face Book and Twitter. People are joining these sites at an alarming rate, but as Bugs Bunny once put it, "What’s all the hubub…bub?". Have we discovered the next breakthrough technology such as the telephone? No, but we have been able to find friends from decades ago and keep it touch with friends who have relocated, gotten married, or otherwise left our immediate circle of influence. I myself have reconnected with one of my closest friends from high school after 20+ years of wondering how he’s been. 

As a professional marketer, I couldn’t help but drool at the number of my friends who had friends numbering in the thousands, just as many other businesses and industries have over the past five years. Would we be able to find the influencers within those groups and get them to sway the opinions of the remaining group to our benefit? Not really! In fact what is really happening is people are using their networks of friends to push everything from cokes for their kids fundraisers to the latest multi-level marketing scheme. If I get one more invitation to one more worthless seminar, webinar, party or podcast, I think I will cancel every membership I have.

Taking advantage of the fact you know someone I know, to send me unsolicited spam is not only "tacky" but shows you totally don’t understand the power of the medium you have subscribed to. Properly used, the network can provide an arena for opinions, discussions on ideas you have, and in some cases provide a control group for test marketing, but the key is in the establishment of relationships. If you expect me to respond to you, then you should take the time to engage me on a level I am interested in and once our comfort level has increased ask me if you can seek my opinion on a given subject. And for Pete’s sake, if I have accepted the invitation, have something to say!!  Don’t just join a group because you want everyone to think you are relevant, choose groups where you can contribute inciteful thinking and thought provoking conversation; not just what your latest activities are.

If you go to social networks to hang out and post fun items for you friends, this blog is not intended for you. It is for all of the "Busters" who try to pass themselves off as businessmen and women because no one will listen in the real world or care, so you choose to annoy the friends of your friends. Shame on you!!

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Now that we are certain the light at the end of the tunnel was the tail lights of the train that ran us over, we can begin to plan the recovery of  our economy.  While there is no arguing the creeping inflation and rising unemployment, the other undeniable fact is Americans needs to get a hold of their fears and get back to work. And I’m not tlking about the 9 to 5 we all cherish, but the work of rebuilding our communities.

As we look at our country from a county to county basis we find two persistent problems. First, the people who normally buy products and services don’t have any money and secondly, we have to turn around our sinking consumer confidence. With the slow down in the economy, businesses are laying off employees in an attempt to remain open, but is that truly what is needed? What most fail to realize is every employee is some business’s customer. You may be able to save your bottom line, but what damage did you cause in the community? Also, this fear of losing your job causes a pessimism that keeps our money in our pockets "just in case". We do without the pleasurable things in the hopes that if the bottom falls out we can some how sustain ourselves for a while. But who are we kidding, if you don’t have at least six months of salary saved, you won’t make it anyway.

All of our fates are tied together on the local level and the heartbeat of America is the pulsing of economic prosperity town by town, city by city. We have to reestablish our "Buy Local" mentality, which keeps the local small businesses hiring, which keeps the employees spending, which causes growth and so on.  Even the federal government knows this to be true, which is evidenced by the small business stimulus loans currently being offered. Under this program small business owner can get a 0% interest loan of $35,000 to help save their business www.sba.gov.

There has been much debate of the theory of "Trickle down" economics. What I am proposing is just the opposite. In the "Buy Local" business model, funds trickle up to the larger markets as the smaller markets grow faster than capacity. For example, if acounty that had 10% unemployment was able to reduce that number to 5%, then the need for additional resources would increase as more demand from the employed grows. This increase would cause more suppliers to appear, which would add more jobs, which causes hire wages, which draws more people to the region, which causes more retailers to open, which causes more jobs, which causes a need for more housing, which causes more jobs….are you starting to get the point?

The one downside in this theory is there will be casualties. Invariably a switch in economic theory will cause a percentage of people to get caught under the wheels of progress. There will be some that spend their savings to try to get the local economy going and not have enough resources to take advantage of the growth. There will be those who don’t believe and will continue to live their lives in fear and finally, there are those who don’t care, they have enough money, screw everyone else.

In either respect, we have reached the end of our democratic republic and change is inevitable. We have to decide what derivation of socialism, marxism, or facism we can endure, but in the meantime, those of us who like things just the way they are can get together and fight the imperial government one city, county, or state at a time.

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