What's the American Marketing Association Doing Now? (A Guide to Upcoming Events)

Hello everyone! The American Marketing Association has published its schedule of upcoming events on its website, and while I realize everyone could just as easily log on to the site and dig up their calendar I also realize that many of you are going to be too busy to do so. With summer right around the corner your marketing team is probably far too busy to actively search for seminars and conventions that are going to make them even busier! That's why I wanted to include their upcoming events here.

If you and your team have the opportunity to take advantage of any or all of these you'll find that they're a tremendous addition to your marketing repertoire. You'll have the chance to hear from and speak with some of the best marketing professionals in the world, and the advice these marketing gurus have to pass on could prove to be indispensible to the future success of your business.

June 1 & 2, 2009 Social Media Marketing. Located in Chicago, IL, the Social Media Marketing Workshop will allow marketers to work with social media guru Dave Evans, author of "Social media Marketing: An Hour a Day"…coincidentally among the top ranking titles on Amazon. Here you'll learn how to use social media to maximize your business's marketing efforts.

June 3 & 4, 2009. Strategic Brand Development. Travel to Toronto to work with Fortune 500 consultant Robert Kincaide to discover why strategic brand development is a must for all of today's companies, and why the old methods of brand development simply won't do in today's fast paced digital economy.

June 4 & 5. Marketing Boot Camp: Los Angeles. Travel to L.A. for an intense two day seminar that delves into the depths of today's marketing environment with one of AMA's experienced marketing instructors.

I'll try to keep all of you updated weekly on what events the AMA has coming up in the near future. To check out their complete calendar, visit them on the web at MarketingPower.com.

AMA Guidelines for Trimming Your Budget

When it comes to marketing nobody does it better than the members of the AMA (American Marketing Association). Every member is an expert in their field, and in an economy where getting maximum results with minimum damage to your marketing budget is becoming increasingly important it's vital for marketing teams to learn where they can stretch their efforts and where they need to cut back. Click here to see what the American Marketing Association has to say about trimming your budget.

I know, you weren't expecting to be sent to another article. I started to trim this down to make the key points fit in this blog, then realized it was impossible. To omit any of these guidelines would leave marketing managers floundering when they tried to use the advice I passed along, because they wouldn't have all of the information. Which is the key guideline when it comes to cutting your budgets in the first place-have all the information.

Know where you can afford to cut costs and where you're going to be digging yourself an early grave. The problem many companies run into when it comes to their budget cuts is the fact that they don't take the time to gather all the information they need and weigh the consequences appropriately. They're essentially operating blind while severing the support strings of their internal framework, which is going to leave your marketing budget trembling on the edge of failure before you've even really had a chance to begin.

My best advice to marketing teams and private entrepreneurs looking for ways to cut their marketing budgets is to get all the information. Weigh the potential benefits and consequences. Then go for the one that's going to do what's best for your business, not the one that's going to step on the least amount of toes. Toes heal, but the damage poor budget cutting can do to your profits can leave your business floundering for years.

Audio Files: A Necessary Evil or an Unnecessary Annoyance?

When the capability to automatically attach an audio file to a website was first presented it sounded like a great idea. After all, the most difficult part of any Internet marketing endeavor is the fact that you're not able to personally interact with your consumers. Unfortunately it was a little too good an idea. Now companies all over the world are attaching audio files to their websites, including a personalized speaking presentation to introduce their services and products, and consumers are getting so annoyed that the minute they enter a site and it starts speaking to them they log out again just as quickly.

What's a good businessman to do?

There are some things that just aren't the same in print, so including an audio file with a spoken presentation can be a tremendous benefit to your site. The important thing to remember is to give your viewers a choice. Put the audio file in a spot where it's readily apparent and they can find the "play" button with ease, along with a quick summary of the content inside. That way, if they don't want to hear you speak it's their own fault!

Of course, the quality of your audio presentation is going to play a major role in how it's received. From a technical end you want to use a good software program to record, and speak slowly. Audio files that are blurry and difficult to understand are going to be rejected almost immediately. Resist the urge to launch into your "used car salesman" persona. Consumers visit these files looking for information. Your pitch should be on your site. Audio files should be used for supporting details.

So are audio files a necessary evil? Yes-and no. If you don't want to incorporate an audio file into your website you are in no way, shape or form obligated to. When done correctly, however, an audio file can be a very valuable addition to your website.

Choosing a Host for Your Website

One of the most valuable assets to any business is their ability to launch a reliable, effective website out on the web. The problem is, if your website isn't up and running half the time you're not going to be able to attract and keep your customers. That's why it's important to choose your website host with care.

If you're an experienced website administrator you probably don't have any trouble identifying an effective web hosting solution. When you're first beginning, however, and a majority of your decision making criteria involves how big a bite it's going to take out of your budget, it can be tempting to sign on the dotted line with the first web hosting solution that's willing to offer you a decent deal.

Don't let yourself get sucked in by cheap hosting solutions. An ineffective host can cost you much more in lost business than you're going to pay to work with a well established and dependable organization. Regardless of the amount of SEO work you do, blogs you start or bookmarking you do, you're going to be completely lost if your site isn't there for your customers to find.

Check the reputation of any company you work with, and ask them about what kind of compensation they'll offer you when your site is down more than a few hours. A good host will offer their clients discounts on their coverage for extended unscheduled downtime not related to standard maintenance; technical glitches are inevitable, but if you're constantly paying for a hosting solution that leaves your site offline more than it's on you can be left hanging out to dry with huge chunks of profits lost.

A good hosting solution is probably the single most important part of any web based business, so make sure you choose yours with care. There are hundreds of companies around the country that will offer you a dedicated business hosting solution for less than $50 a month. You should never have to sacrifice quality just to keep your hosting solution within the parameters of your budget.

Profitable Suggestions for Adding Video to Your Website

Audio files can be a valuable addition to your website, but if you want to go for the big money solution it's time to consider adding streaming video to your website. Businesses around the world are discovering the value of including a video presentation of one form or another to their website. A personalized video presentation allows you to:

1) Reach out and make a personal connection with your audience.
2) Give them a front seat view of the product or service you're offering.
3) Legitimize your campaign. The negative press most Internet businesses have received in the past have been spawned by con artists taking advantage of the anonymity offered through the web. By giving your clientele the opportunity to "speak" with you personally (even if you're the one doing all the speaking) you can dramatically decrease the amount of fear that your site visitors will associate with your business and build trust with your clientele.
4) Add some pizzazz to your website!

The ability to jazz up a website with the addition of live video is a big part of what makes this an appealing option for Internet marketers. Most consumers view millions of websites over the course of their lifetime. Remember, many of today's consumers barely remember life before the Internet, and they spend hours a day on it looking for news, products, etc. When you consider the fact that most websites are almost a carbon copy of each other you understand the true challenge faced by today's online business.

Their websites are utterly forgettable.

Since no one wants to be forgettable every site developer is looking for a way to distinguish their website and stand out in the eyes of their visitors to keep them coming back. Adding video to your site is a great way to do precisely that.

What a Jump Page Can Do for Your Affiliate Marketing Campaign

Amazon.com. Ebay.com. CDC.gov. These are all well known addresses to most Americans, not necessarily because they are exceptional or unique but because the company is well known and their URL is simple enough that they're easy to remember. They reflect the business name. They're short. They're simple.

They're a lot easier to work with than your average affiliate URL.

The fact that most affiliate URLs are plagued with extended addresses and numerous symbols (many of which aren't accepted by today's distribution services) and often have no relation at all to the affiliate business they're supposed to be associated with make them difficult to work with. Consumers can't remember them, which means they'll often jump straight to the homepage of the company you're affiliated with instead of visiting yours. That's why many affiliates are choosing to use a jump page to boost their affiliate marketing campaign.

A jump page is a digital redirect that can send people from one place to another; in this case, from an ordinary, short, simple URL to your affiliate URL. Many businesses use this to direct their consumers around their site for multiple reasons; however, jump pages have a special distinction for affiliates. It allows them to legitimize their campaign with a short, simple URL (rather than one that looks like it could be anything) that keeps clients coming back rather than driving them away.

There are a few words of caution associated with a jump page, however. Some distribution services will flag this for fear that you're a chronic SPAMMER instead of an affiliate just trying to do your job. Some customers may be wary of jumping from one site to another in the blink of an eye, believing they've landed in the wrong place. As a general rule, however, a jump page is a fantastic addition to your affiliate marketing campaign.

What Your Competition Has To Do With Your Pricing Practices

When it comes to your company's success almost nothing figures more predominantly than your pricing practices. Why? Because if you're pricing your goods and services way over your competition and your consumers find out about it the piper's going to be asking for more than his due. That's why it's important to keep your competition in mind when you're choosing your pricing.

When a new product hits the market many uneducated companies think they have carte blanche when it comes to pricing-after all, they don't have any competition. They can start out with a bang and then lower their prices when a pricing war begins. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Regardless of what product or service you're releasing you're always going to have competition of one type of another. Forgetting that is almost always the first nail in your coffin.

Is it really fair to do that to your business before you've even had a chance to get started?

What you have to remember is that not all competition is direct. Apple may have been the first to offer the iPod, but that doesn't mean they weren't competing with laptops, Walkman and CDs for their fair share of the music industry. If their iPods had been ludicrously priced they wouldn't have even had the chance to get out of the starting gate, much less dominate the digital music industry the way they do today despite the attempts of their competition. They took into account what people were already paying and kept that in the back of their mind during their production process.

The result? The iPod was a little more expensive than the average music player, but not so much that people weren't willing to pay for the novelty. That's the kind of ideal you want to keep in mind when establishing your own pricing practices.

How to Write a Strong Press Release

When you're running a business you're going to learn two things rather quickly. One, the media can do many wonderful things for you. Two, they're a pain in the neck. But a necessary pain in the neck! It's through the media that your company's clients and consumers are going to stay up to date on what you've been doing, so it's important to keep them in the loop! To do that you're going to have to learn to write a strong press release.

If you're running a major corporation you've probably got a team of marketing professionals that spent an entire semester in college learning how to effectively write for the media; however, if you happen to BE your company's marketing department you may be left feeling like you're in way over your head! Here are some helpful hints to help you write an effective press release that's guaranteed to make its way out onto the newswire:

1) Make sure your news is newsworthy. The press isn't (usually) going to waste valuable space writing up an article on an issue no one cares about, so it's important to make sure your news really is newsworthy.

2) Create a short yet stunning headline. Your headline should do three things. First, it should identify your company or industry. Second, it should give the reader some idea of what you're talking about, and third, it should catch the attention of the reader! If you're having a hard time evaluating the success of your press release headlines, visit the Advanced Marketing Institute's online heading analyzer and use the tools and tips available.

3) Make sure your press release answers the who, what, why, when, where and how of your news item. You don't have to go on and on (most press releases should be 400-600 words or less unless there's simply too much information to include).

4) Close with your contact information.

Writing an effective press release may feel difficult at first, but if you know what you're talking about, who you're talking to and why you're talking to them it won't be long before effective PR is as easy as breathing.

What Every Business Owner Should Know About Microblogging

Once upon a time mass marketing was the hottest thing in advertising. There aren't enough ways or days to say it-the times, they are a' changin'. Today's consumers are more educated than ever, and target markets are slowly sliding into specialized niches. This shift in markets also means that there's a newfound necessity for specialized marketing techniques…and with social networking and word of mouth marketing booming courtesy of the Internet microblogging may be the wave of the future.

If you're unfamiliar with a microblog, take a look at Twitter. Or Django. Or Microblogs.org. Each of these sites hosts microblogs from individuals and businesses all around the world. Microblogs serve two very important purposes. First and foremost, it gives you the chance to build up your target market. Pepole come to your microblog. They read. They comment. And they come back.

Secondly, a microblog offers you the chance to keep this community updated on your business's actions, new products and services in a casual, comfortable way that doesn't require you to spend hours trying to draft out a press release. You can casually say, "My company is opening a new division specifically for gamers" and gamers will come see. Yes, you're probably going to want to be more specific than that, but you get the idea.

And because it's casual, because it's open to the community, your consumers can get a feel for what their fellow consumers have to say about a product or service before they sign on the dotted line and hand over their credit card number. It's word of mouth marketing in the kind of casual environment that makes consumers feel comfortable about making a purchase.

And when you get right down to it, influencing your consumers' decision making process is what it's all about.

Humor in Advertising

Everyone loves to laugh at the Budweiser frogs and the Geico gecko, but these well known spokespeople ( Spokes-animals?) bring to light an important issue that every well versed advertiser should be aware of-the impact of humor in advertising.

There isn't a person on earth who doesn't love to be entertained. Yes, even your hard-nosed boss had a sense of humor. Royals who could order the execution of a member of their court with a wave of their hand (and nary a tear of remorse to be found) kept court jesters whose sole purpose was to keep them and their court in stitches. Humor is fun. Humor is enjoyable. Most importantly, humor is memorable.

Regardless of who (or what) your consumer market happens to be, humor in advertising can go a long way toward promoting your brand and increasing your potential consumer group. The important question as an advertiser isn't whether your ads should include humor, but what type of humor it should contain. There are many organizations (Nickelodeon, for example) whose graphic and slightly off-color advertisements appeal to their viewers but would raise a great deal of controversy in many other industries.

So it's important to ensure that your particular brand of humor reflects the image you're seeking to promote with your brand. Humorous campaigns are an excellent time to begin working with a test audience to evaluate the image and idea promoted by your ads, to avoid stepping on any toes. Avoid racial slurs and stereotypes at all costs, and take the time to look into the cultural beliefs of your target group (as mentioned in the post on marketing to minorities).

Humor is a great way to make sure your business is remembered, but you don't want it to be the straw that sends your ship plunging to the bottom of the ocean. Make sure you choose your humor with the same care you choose your image and you'll have the start of a very successful advertising campaign.

Does Your Company Need a Spokesperson?

There probably isn't a person in the continental United States that doesn't know the familiar face of Geico's Gecko…or Smokey the Bear…or Spud McKenzie. These "spokespeople" have done a lot to bump up their brand, promote their image and put their company's name on everyone's tongue. The question is, does your company need a spokesperson?

Establishing a spokesperson for your company has a number of benefits, whether you choose to employ a celebrity spokesperson like William Shatner (Priceline.com) or Bill Cosby (JELL-O), bring in someone unknown or create your own like the examples above did. Spokespeople are often easier to remember than a product. Their familiar faces stick in the minds of your consumers, influencing their purchasing decisions because of the brand image they convey. They also go a long way toward endearing your product to your consumers-much loved characters=much loved products.

If bringing in a spokesperson was all roses, however, every company in the world would do it. Remember, your spokesperson must convey your company's desired image. Spokespeople that are too playful may not sell products designed for serious consumers (especially if they have a childish tone to their actions). Many companies have found, to their detriment, that their spokesperson has done them more harm than good-or, as in the case of one notable pet goods dealer, created an entity loved by the public but not suitable to their brand. (Consumers bought tee-shirts with the spokesdog's image on it but failed to buy the company's mainstream products.)

Bringing in a celebrity also carries its own risks. Your celebrity spokesperson's reputation will be your reputation, so it's good to keep that in mind. Human beings will be human beings, but when their face hits the tabloids it's going to be the beginning of the end for your company. For that reason it's important that you make your choices wisely. Spokespeople aren't necessary for the success of your business. A good relationship with your consumers is.

Easy Ways to Motivate Employees

Nothing keeps a good business running like happy employees. Yes, efficiency is important. Yes, it helps if they know how to do their job. But none of that is going to do you any good if your employees aren't happy. Why? Because unhappy employees give 20%.

And everyone knows that 20% isn't enough to get the job done.

The question is, how can you motivate employees without giving out pay raises that will drive your company into the red before the year is out? Here are some suggestions from America's top CEOs that are motivating their employees and keeping their businesses running at the speed of success:

1) Motivate yourself. Have you ever noticed that your employees are willing to put as much of themselves into the business as you do? If you're not motivated, your employees aren't going to be either. Enthusiasm is contagious. Give it a try sometime.

2) Align the goals of your organization with the goals of your employees-and let them see that they matter. If you're constantly telling your key players that they're expendable they're going to hold back on giving you their all-after all, it doesn't matter anyway. On the other hand, if your employees see daily how their actions are contributing to the success of your company they're going to be more likely to give you the 100% you need for success.

3) Get to know your employees. No, you don't have to know their entire family history, but do you know which of your employees has children? Grandchildren? Which want to be promoted to management? Which work well in teams and which turn out better results working alone? Which plan on being long-term employees versus those who are going to school with greater ambitions? Once you understand your employees you'll understand what motivates them, and you'll be able to plan accordingly.

4) Debunk the myths of motivating employees. Fear and money don't solve everything. Employers that use fear and money to try and grow happy employees almost always end up with unsatisfied ones that are just marking time until they get a better offer.

A strong business is made by a strong team, not just a strong boss. That's why motivating your employees may be the single most important thing you ever do to ensure the success of your business.

Do You Need a College Degree to Succeed?

With the number of high school drop-outs continuing to climb and Internet entrepreneurs making money hand over fist without receiving any kind of special training the issue of a college education has become a difficult one for many. Do you really need a college degree to succeed? Or are you perfectly capable of getting ahead in life without spending another four to eight years going back to school when you didn't enjoy it the first time around?

The answer is simple. If obtaining a college degree is an option for you, take it. There are many reasons for this, most of which have absolutely nothing to do with getting rich quick! When you step out into the professional environment to find a job you're going to be going head to head with other job seekers that have years of experience under their belt in their prospective field. Your college degree may be the only thing you've got going for you when you're going head to head with a 20 veteran who learned at the school of hard knocks-many employers like the thought of bringing in a recent graduate who is familiar with new technologies that they can mold to their company image.

Even if you decide to walk the road of the entrepreneur there's a lot to be said for going to school and picking up a business degree. First and foremost, you'll learn valuable marketing and accounting skills that will help your business succeed. A business degree also earns you greater respect when you're appealing to potential clients or suppliers, inspiring their confidence in the fact that you do, in fact, know what you're doing!

Do you need a college degree to succeed? No, probably not. Can it help you? Absolutely.

Find more tools for success at www.1uptoyou.com.

Targeting A Minority Market

With the days of mass media far behind us and the minority population in the United States growing daily marketers are scrambling to focus their company's marketing powers to take advantage of new minority buying power. Minorities are no longer viewed as insignificant in the American marketing pool; over 1 in 8 of all Americans are of Hispanic origin (surpassing even the African-American consumer market), and 5% of Americans claim Asian ethnicity.

With ethnic pride and a return to our multi-cultural roots booming, it's time for marketers to sit up and take notice. Failing to target these minority groups will result in a huge loss to companies that do.

The question is, how do you target minority markets without stepping on any toes? First and foremost, avoid ethnic stereotypes while still considering cultural mores. Much like today's woman, who has no desire to find herself shown in the kitchen when she actually spends most of her day in the courtroom, minority groups have no desire to be displayed filling blue collar jobs or working against the grain of American cultural society.

Breaking free of the stereotypes will allow you and your marketing team to recognize these target markets for what they are-a group of newly empowered buyers.

Focus your marketing efforts on ethnic publications; for example, don't forget to advertise in Spanish language publications in areas with a high Hispanic population. These publications are often very affordable, since few of them have gone national, allowing you to maximize the frequency of your advertising.

Devise a culturally relevant campaign. Every culture has its own mores and values, and it's easy to offend. Take Mattel; when they started marketing Barbie in the Middle East she was banned because she didn't conform to society's views of how a woman should cover herself in public. Keep your marketing team ethnically diverse and open minded to make it easy for you to move past the stereotypes that have held minority marketing back in the past and find success in this rapidly growing consumer group.

Find more tools for your business at http://www.1uptoyou.com.

Staying On Top of the Swine Flu

No, it doesn't have anything to do with business or marketing, but since surviving the Swine Flu seems to be on the tip of everyone's tongue these days I thought it might be a good idea to offer readers a little bit of additional information.


First and foremost, the Swine Flu is a version of an influenza virus that primarily inhabits pigs and, while it has been known to jump to humans in the past, has never before developed the kind of sweeping airborne contact spread it has now. Because Swine Flu spreads from person to person via direct contact, here's what the CDC and other leading professionals have to say about keeping yourself healthy and protecting yourself from the Swine Flu:


1) Keep your immune system healthy. In many cases of Swine Flu the virus is little more than a cold, bringing a fever and the sniffles and running its course in a day or so. A majority of the cases where serious illness has been seen has been among immune-compromised patients, including children and the elderly. Get plenty of exercise and sleep, watch your diet and don't forget your vitamin C!
2) Wash your hands-a lot. After you use the bathroom, after touching a public shopping cart, after blowing your nose, after shaking hands…anytime you might have come in contact with Swine Flu germs, wash up!
3) If you think you're sick, stay home. Not only will this stop the Swine Flu from spreading through your workplace, allowing your body to rest rather than forcing it to keep going will go a long way toward helping you recover quickly. Once you've been symptom free for 24 hours you're probably good to go.

**Note: You CANNOT get Swine Flu from eating pork or from drinking water, unless you put your mouth on a drinking faucet recently infected by someone with Swine Flu, so you can make those pork chops tonight worry free.**

Creating Your Home Office

There's little in life more satisfying than being able to tell people, "I work from home"-until the realities of the situation catch up with you. When you're constantly chasing documents out from under couches, rescuing briefs from sticky fingers and ruing the fact that you can't buy five minutes to string a thought together without someone asking you a question, you might be missing the office more than you thought! That's why you need to set up an effective and efficient home office.

The first thing to do is decide where your office is going to be. A room with a door would be ideal; however, if you don't have a guest bedroom to spare any corner of the house where you can set up a bookshelf and a desk will do! Choose a corner of the house where you will be able to work undisturbed (if you have small children the middle of the living room probably isn't going to be it), preferably away from distractions like the television or the front door.

You're going to want shelving units for books and resources, some sort of filing cabinet to keep your papers organized, space for your computer, printer, fax machine and phone line (if necessary) and a comfortable chair.One of the biggest benefits of not being in the office is that your home office can be as comfortable or as uncomfortable as you want it to be! While a desk chair would be ideal there are plenty of people who have opted to place a recliner or loveseat in their office space in front of their desk instead. It's all about what works for you.

Working from home can be an incredibly satisfying experience, but without the proper space and resources you're going to find yourself more frustrated than you ever were cooped up in the office.

Find more resources for your business at http://www.1uptoyou.com/.

Develop Your Key Leadership Skills

As we wrap up the end of an eclectic week of blogging I'd like to take a second to invite all my readers to chime in on what leadership qualities they value in their boss. What makes a good manager? What drives a company forward rather than sending it sprawling into the dirt? Most importantly, how can you develop your leadership qualities?

Contrary to popular belief, leadership skills can in fact be learned. Some people seem to have been born with the ability to inspire others to follow them, while others struggle to get their waitress's attention in a crowded restaurant. There are hundreds of factors that blend to make an effective and charismatic leader, but these are factors that you, no matter who you are or what you do for a living, can master.

First and foremost, listen-and let go of your ego! An effective leader is one who knows how to work as a team, which means the first step in developing your leadership skills should be to learn how to let go of your need to micromanage and accept that you're (probably) surrounded by people who know how to do their job. Let them do it.

Learn to encourage rather than browbeat. Occasionally a stiff disciplinary hand will be needed, but you'll find you get a great deal more with honey than with vinegar when you're working with employees and fellow team members. More importantly, learn how to set the example. Your employees will usually be willing to put as much of themselves into their jobs as you do, but you'll probably find you'll have trouble getting them to do any more!

There are thousands of leadership conferences around the world every year. Take advantage of them, and use their resources to help you develop your own leadership skills. Remember, in the fight against nature vs. nurture in the leadership environment nurture wins every time!

Find more tools for success at www.1uptoyou.com!

5 Tips to Balance Your Work and Home Life

There's nothing more rewarding than owning or running your own business, or knowing that you've played a key role in the success of someone else's. The only problem is, success comes at a price-and all too often the cost is your personal life! So what do you do when the separation between your work life and your home life becomes virtually non-existent? Here are some great tips on how to separate your work life and your home life to give you the best of both.

1) Decide when closing time's going to be-and stick with it. If your work day never ends your family and/or "me" time is never going to begin. Wrap it up at 5 or 6, and don't do anything else unless it absolutely, positively WILL NOT wait until tomorrow.
2) Take advantage of some flexible scheduling options! One of the privileges of not being paid by the hour is that you often have a lot of flexibility in your schedule (as long as you're getting done what you need to get done). That means that weeks you find yourself with no choice but to crank in some late hours you can duck out of the office for an hour or two to have lunch with the family, making sure everyone knows you haven't forgotten about them.
3) Join a gym! It's hard to find time to exercise when you're putting in 40+ hours per week, but the longer you spend sitting in front of a desk the worse you're going to feel. By joining a gym your investment in your gym membership will force you to find time to balance your work and home life.
4) Commit to spending time with family and friends. If you commit to joining your friends for dinner every Wednesday, or taking part in a book club every other Sunday, you'll be obligated to walk out of the office and into life outside of work.
5) Build a support network. When you're buried under a pile of paperwork so high you can't see to dig your way out it's easy to get bogged down with stress. Having a supportive network of friends to help you handle your housework, run errands, take care of the kids or just lend an ear to remind you there's life away from the office will go a long way toward helping you find that ideal balance between your work and home life and remind you why you love doing what you do.

How to Fire an Employee

I just realized that this week's blog posts have focused pretty heavily on maintaining your employees in your business, and in a nod to that theme and to Office Space I thought I'd wrap up the week with some tips on firing your employees. (After all, who could forget the "Mikes" stating that the best time to fire an employee was at the end of the day on Friday? Fewer scenes that way…)


When you work with someone you develop a relationship with them, good or bad, and that relationship is going to impact your ability to let them go. Everyone has that one employee that they just can't wait to say good-bye to, either because they weren't doing their job or they just didn't mesh personally with the rest of your office. When you've got a good employee, however, that you've got to let go for one reason or another it can be a little harder. Here's what the experts have to say about how to fire an employee:

1) Don't let the news get around. The only people who need to know an employee is going to be fired (besides yourself) is anyone else that will be present at the termination meeting.
2) Earlier in the week is better than Friday if you have an option on the timing of their termination.
3) Pull them aside to have the meeting, and get straight to the point. Tell them why you're letting them go, and be honest about it. If they have made a mistake that's forced their termination, tell them. If you're simply forced to let them go due to budget cuts, be honest about that too.
4) If you're offering them a severance package, go over the details at that time.
5) Offer to let them clean out their desk now or have you mail their possessions. If security is an issue, have a member of your security staff watch them as they pack their belongings and exit the building. Employees who have been fired for performance reasons may prefer not to have to explain to their co-workers and therefore opt to have you mail their belongings; employees who are being let go for other reasons may want the chance to say good-bye.
6) Be sympathetic, but don't waiver. The minute you start debating your decision you've already lost.

Don't forget to give out letters of recommendation if warranted, and answer their questions honestly. Remember, this is going to be difficult for both of you; however, handling it calmly and coolly will pave the way for a smoother termination and improved relations if either of your circumstances change farther down the road and you find yourselves working together again.

Find more tools for your business at www.1uptoyou.com.

Using a Hiring Agency

In an earlier post we talked about the ins and outs of hiring good employees-after all, your employees are the bread and butter of your industry! Sometimes you don't have time to step into the labor intensive process of looking around for an employee that meets your specifications, however. After all, it takes time and effort to target trade publications, and screening the resumes of hundreds of potential candidates can feel like more trouble than it's worth. It takes less time out of your day to just do the job you need someone else to do than it does to go on a hiring spree.

That's why many companies decide to bring in a hiring agency.

Hiring agencies specialize in sifting through the resumes of their own potential pool of applicants and finding one that will meet your needs. They'll check out their background and qualifications, as well as their education and personal skills, to find out how they match up with the job descriptions you send them. Once the candidates have passed their test they'll be passed on to you!

Bringing in a hiring agency can save your human resources people hours of aggravation, especially if yours is a small business and you ARE your human resources department! It's important, however, that you pick the right hiring agency. Look for one that specializes in placing individuals in your industry, and if they happen to be local that's even better. (That saves you having to worry about bringing in applicants from California for a job in New York, since most of them are going to want help with their relocation that your current profit margins may not be able to provide.)

Once you've brought the right hiring agency into the mix you can sit back, relax and focus on your marketing strategies knowing your business is in good hands.

Strategies for Hiring Good Employees

Your employees are a vital part of your business, acting as front line communication between you and your customers. In many cases, your employees are the foundation your business is built on-after all, how often does the company CEO have time to get to know each and every one of their consumers? It's sad but true-if you spent all day interacting with your customer base you'd never get anything else done! That's why hiring good employees is one of the most important steps you'll ever take in ensuring the success of your business.

The first step to hiring good employees is advertising in the right places. If you're looking for an entry level worker and on the job training is provided local advertising (newspapers, help wanted signs) are a perfectly acceptable method of searching for employees. If you're looking for an employee with certain skills or certifications, however, you're going to have to be a bit more selective.

Advertising in trade publications and taking part in career fairs are great ways to get in touch with employees that have the credentials you need.

Once you have a pool of candidates it's time to start the interview process. Try to keep your interview questions general as opposed to leading) and cover all your bases. Ask them about their skills and their education, as well as specific job experiences that have prepared them for the challenge you're asking them to take on. Find out how they respond in a crisis, and don't be afraid to toss some psychological questions in there-it's a good way to see how easily they shift gears as well as breaking through their interview persona.

When the interview is done and you've got four or five candidates you like, check their references. It's tempting to skip this step, but good employees almost always have a strong work history and a long list of satisfied employers. If they've done the job well in the past there's a good chance they'll do the job well in the future, making them an extremely valuable resource and allowing you to offer them the job, then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

How to Save Money on Groceries

One of the most important things you can do right now is save money on your overhead to stretch your budget as far as it will go, whether you're talking about your business budget or your household expenses. While food certainly isn't an optional expense, there are things you can do to help you save big bucks at the grocery store.

1) Make a list. It seems like common sense, but by making a list of groceries you need for the week and sticking to it you can avoid spending money on impulse buys that will drive your grocery bill up. See something on sale you just can't say no to? Cross an item off your list and exchange the two. You can always have spaghetti next week!

2) Buy store brands as often as possible. Store brands can save you a lot of money on your groceries because you're not paying advertising fees, and in most cases the products are the same quality as their brand name equivalents.

3) Clip coupons. Yes, it can get a little tedious at times, but coupons can save you a lot of money at the grocery store and are widely available in newspapers and magazines. Just be careful you don't fall into the trap of buying something you don't need just because you have a coupon for it!

4) Sale shop. If you have a choice between the DiGiorno pizza that costs you $7 and the Freschetta that's on sale for $5, go for the Freschetta. That $2 can add up over time! Store specials and sales can save you a fortune when you're stocking your cupboards.

5) Never, ever grocery shop when you're hungry. It's the oldest rule in the book, but it bears repeating. When you're standing in a grocery store and your stomach's growling you're going to walk out with way more food than you really need-and chances are you're not going to be stocking up on vegetables.

The Truth About Super Bowl Advertising

The screaming fans. The national media coverage. The fact that hundreds of football hating Americans tune in every year to watch the commercials. There's a definite appeal to advertising during the Super Bowl, which is why companies pay millions of dollars for the privilege each year. That thirty second slot is seen by over 130 million people (on average) which is tremendous exposure. But did you know that Super Bowl advertising might not be as effective as you think it is?

A recent study preparing to publish in Managerial and Decision Economics this summer shows that researchers have found no quantifiable evidence to prove that advertising during the Super Bowl is any more effective than advertising during prime time or other "peak" times and locations. Those companies that have seen a boost in their sales are either new to the scene and still climbing the growth curve of their products' life cycle or pulling out all of the creative stops to make commercials that are almost as interesting as the game.

After all, who doesn't remember the Budweiser frogs?

There's a lesson to be learned here. Sometimes the fickle market can be misleading, and advertising attempts that seem like they should present you with a huge yield are actually remarkably ineffective. This is why it's so important to do your research before deciding where you're going to spend your advertising budget-especially if you're a small business counting your pennies and trying to lower your overhead. Sometimes deals that sound too good to be true really are, and the last thing you want to do is waste your precious resources when they could be put to better use somewhere else.

Find more marketing information and resources for your company by visiting http://www.1uptoyou.com/.

The Pros and Cons of Billboard Advertising

When you're stuck in a car traveling for miles down the highway there's nothing more interesting (besides insulting the other drivers) than spending your time checking out the highway billboard signs. Their widespread appeal and ability to attract the attention of weary travelers with nothing else to occupy their time makes billboard advertising an extremely popular way to get the word out about your business; however, before you go out and buy the first billboard space you see it's important to truly understand the pros and cons of outdoor advertising.

The advantages of billboard advertising are pretty obvious. You've got a fairly large pool of travelers that goes past your billboard every day, which means there's a good chance you'll increase your exposure dramatically. And because billboards are large (and technology has given us the ability to do so many cool things with them) you've got huge amounts of creative freedom with which to play to transform your billboard virtually any way you want to.

On the other hand, billboard advertising tends to be expensive-really expensive. The average cost of a highway billboard sign runs between $900 and $2500 a month depending on size and exposure, with off-highway billboards running anywhere from $200 on up. Because you can't really target your billboard advertising attempts the way you can most other marketing strategies you're going to be buying into the mass media mindset and hoping it works. This can make for a fairly dubious returns on your investment. Finally, if you're going to be spreading your billboard advertising attempts across a wide field you're going to find it very difficult to regulate your billboards. (The whys of that have always seemed rather dubious, but the statistics never lie.)

Creative billboard advertising has the capability to boost your profits dramatically, but it's important to do your research and ensure that you've done everything you can to make your billboard convey the message you want to send to appeal to your target market.

Find more marketing info and tools for your company at http://www.1uptoyou.com/.

Automatic Savings Plans

In my last post I talked about ways to stop spending money, saying that it wasn't enough simply to save. That doesn't mean that focusing on saving your money isn't important! If you've read through any of your recent Social Security reports you'll find that even the federal government is working hard to encourage people to save their money and put it away for retirement, and the easiest way to do that is through some form of automatic savings plan.

After all, you can't spend your money if it's not there!

You have many, many options when it comes to automatic savings plans. The simplest is to look into a retirement plan of some sort, like a 401K or an IRA, which has the added benefit of generating a return over time; however, that doesn't take care of your short term goals or protect you if your investments fall through. Automatic savings plans like those offered through ING Direct (for example) provide you with an invaluable way to save money for both your long and short term goals.

How does it work? It's simple. You arrange for the company to make an automatic withdrawal from your qualified bank account on a regular interval (usually payday) for whatever amount of money you feel you can live without and want to put into a savings account. This can be as little as $20 a week…it's all about cumulative effects!

Over time this balance builds up and you can consider moving your money from an ordinary savings account to long or short term CDs (certificates of deposit) that will generate a high interest return in exchange for leaving your money with a particular bank. While you're not going to find yourself sitting on a cool million by the end of the first year, an automatic savings plan takes away your responsibility to save your money and provides you with a simple, easy way to prepare for your future.
Find more information to help you weather the recession and prepare for your future at http://www.1uptoyou.com.

Easy Ways to Stop Spending Money

Have you noticed that even though you try to be careful with your money you still find yourself scrambling to pay the bills at the end of the month? It's amazing how money can flow like water from your pocket if you're not careful. Since today's economy virtually requires every man, woman and child to learn how to tighten their belts, it pays to learn how to stop spending money.

That's right. It's not enough just to learn how to save money (or even how to make money). Any fourth grader with a basic book on investments can do that. You need to learn how to plug the leak and stop money from flowing out of your house at the rate it has been if you're going to learn how to make the most of your financial resources. In other words, instead of learning how to save money you first have to stop spending it!

The first thing you need to do is sit down and make a list of things you HAVE to spend money on each month. Things like water, electricity, telephone and car insurance aren't optional. Once you've figured these things out you can start to figure out what you can STOP spending money on!

How much are you spending at the grocery store each week-and what are you buying? Many people don't realize that just shopping at the grocery store instead of going out to eat isn't a guarantee that they'll save money. In light of today's recent trends toward overpriced organics and the number of sweets and sodas on the market you might be surprised to find that you're spending way more money than you have to on food each week.

I'm not saying you have to forget the healthy stuff altogether-I'm just suggesting you look for some alternatives! Whole wheat breads and pastas are available through many generic retailers for a fraction of the price of their brand name competitors, and in many cases they're just as healthy. Steroid free meats can be purchased through retailers like Wal-Mart and Target for considerably less than most natural food stores, and do you really need all those cookies, sodas and frozen foods? Finding ways to save money at the grocery store isn't as hard as you might think!

You might be surprised at how easy it is to blow through $100-200 a month on little things like candy bars, knick knacks and Starbucks. Reasoning that it only costs you three to four dollars a day doesn't change the fact that that three to four dollars a day is going to total up to $120 or more at the end of the month! Try to carry healthy, non-perishable snacks in your purse, car and/or work desk, and pack your lunch as often as possible when you're out and about.

Finally, there's the shopping trips. How much of what you've bought in the last month did you really need versus what you bought because it was on sale? The first key to stop spending money is to stop buying things you don't really need and focus on the things you do. If you can master that you'll be amazed at how fast your savings account will grow.

Find out more about maximizing your financial resources during the recession by visiting www.1uptoyou.com.