เศรษฐกิจแห่งความว่างเปล่า

      ความลุ่มๆดอนๆ ของเศรษฐกิจโลก ดูจะเป็นเรื่องคุ้นเคยในรอบหลายปีทที่ผ่านมา นับตั้งแต่วิกฤตการณ์แฮมเบอร์เกอร์ที่สั้นคลอนสหรัฐอเมริกาเมื่อปี 2008 การตัดสินใจของสหราชอาณาจักรที่จะอยู่หรือไปกับกลุ่มสหภาพยุโรป ค่าเงินรูเบิลที่ตกกระหน่ำ จนถึงวิกฤตภาระหนี้ของกรีซที่สร้างความกังวลจนตลาดหุ้นสหรัฐ ต้องปิดแดนลบ

      ดังนั้น โลกจึงเฝ้ามองนโยบายและมาตรการทางเสรษฐกิจที่สหรัฐ สหภาพยุโรป จนถึงฝั่งเอเชีย ทั้งญี่ปุ่นและจีน ได้ทยอยออกมาสร้างความเชื่อมั่นละกระตุ้นเศษฐกิจด้วยมาตรการการเงินและการคลัง โดยเฉพาะนโยบายการเพิ่มปริมาณเงิน หรือ มาตรการ QE (Quantitative Easing) ที่ยุโรปและณี่ปุ่นต่างดำเนินการในรูปแบบเดียวกัน เพื่อหวังผลว่า เมื่อเพิ่ปรอมาณการเงินเข้ามาในระบบมากขึ้น ดอกเบี้ยจะลดลง และส่งผลให้ค่าเงินดอลล่าร์สหรัฐ เงินยูโร และเงินเยนอ่อนตัวลง ซึ่งทฤษฏีตามตำราก็ย่อมเป็นประโยชน์ต่อการส่งออก ลดการขาดดุลจากการนำเข้า รวมถึงทำให้เกิดการจ้างงานเติบโต เมื่อคิดคร่าวๆนะครับ ก็จะเห็นแต่ความน่ายินดีของเศรษฐกิจที่ส่องสว่าง ไม่นับรวมการลงทุนของภาครัฐ และราคาน้ำมันที่ลดลงจากการที่สหรัฐสามารถหาแหล่งพลังงานทดแทนได้อีกด้วย

       แต่ชีวิตก็มักไม่เป็นดังเช่นที่หวังไว้ เศรษฐกิจโลกยังคงทอดอาลัย โดยเฉพาะยุโรป ญี่ปุ่น หรือแม้แต่จีน ที่อัตราการเติบโตทางเศรษฐกิจไม่ได้ร้อนแรงเช่นเดิมเสียแล้ว ทางฝั่งยุโรป อัตราการว่างงานสูงถึงร้อยละ 11 และอยู่ในสภาพเช่นนี้มานานจนคล้ายกับคนเซื่องซึม ขณะที่เศรษฐกิจสหรัฐ ที่ว่าผ่านจุดต่ำสุดมาแล้วดูจะหายใจคล่องขึ้น เมื่ออัตราการว่างงานของคนอเมริกันลดลงมาาอยู่ที่ร้อยละ 5.6 เมื่อปลายปี 2014 ซึ่งลดลงกว่าในช่วงเวลาเดียวกันของปีก่อนร้อยละ 1.1 ส่วนอัตราการขยายตัวทางเศรษฐกิจก็เพิ่มขึ้นร้อยละ 3.5

       ซึ่งเป็นผลมาจากการที่จีนแผ่นดินใหญ่เร่งเข้ามาลงทุนในสหรัฐมากขึ้้น ทำให้มาอัตราการจ้างงานที่สูงขึ้ตามลำดับ เป็นที่น่าคิดว่า เศรษฐกิจทางฝั่งอเมริกาจะกลับมาคึกคักอีกครั้ง

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The branding behaviour of high-growth start-ups

The most powerful brands mean something to people; they have values and are emotionally attractive to their target audience

Examples of powerful brands include social photo-sharing site, Instagram, which sold to Facebook for $1bn aged after just 18 months. Or there’s the UK consumer brand, Ella’s Kitchen, which in eight years has grown to have a 20% share of the UK baby food market and a turnover of £100m.

The learnings are the same. These companies set out to create a new market or completely disrupt an old one. To do this you need to have a very clear idea of who you are and what you are doing, and this is all about branding.

Branding is often misconstrued to be the visual elements that represent your business. But to create effective brands, the real work starts long before the creative people are let loose with their colouring pencils.

Here are the five principles that create stand-out brands from day one:

Who are you? What do you stand for?

Your brand positioning is the essence of what you are about, and what you want others to see you as. It should concisely sum up your brand — without fussy words, lengthy sentences, or explanatory sub-headings, with language that emulates the impression you are trying to create. Crack this and your positioning builds to be emotive and more than the sum of its parts.

Paul Lindley, founder of Ella’s Kitchen, developed a brand positioning that effortlessly sums up his mission to revolutionise kids’ eating habits by making healthy food tasty and fun. This compelling positioning can be seen in the company’s tactile packaging, the naming of their products as ‘The Red One’ and ‘The Yellow One’ and in their innovative approach.

Mean something to someone but not everyone

Never fall into the trap of trying to be liked by everyone. Head down this road (and many do) and you’ll be vanilla and not meaning anything to anybody.

Successful brands focus their energy on a distinct target audience looking to create a passionate bond with them, even though they may be hated by others. One of the most publicly extreme examples is from Mike Jefferies, CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch who famously said “We hire good-looking people in our stores... good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people." 

Controversial as it is, they have marketing to generation-Y absolutely nailed — they understand them and focus on them only. The opposite of love is not hate — it is complacency — and complacent customers are not loyal. So decide who your “someone” is — define them as one person and make, do and say everything with them in mind.

Define how you act

Whether you prefer to think of it as brand values, beliefs or business ways of working, capturing the way you want to act is vital to creating a scalable business. Left undefined, the way the founders or management team do things gets lost through the business and the customer experience becomes lacklustre. 

How you act covers two areas — how you talk to consumers, and how you want everyone to act within your company. Moo.com revolutionised the B2B stationery printing market with a simple online platform brought to life with a friendly tone-of-voice.

Defining how you want people in your business to act often comes down to ethics or values, but some businesses — such as Innocent — develop one central “way” running across the team and to customers. They have job titles like chief mixer (for the product technologist), chief writer (for copy writer) which brings the personality that makes Innocent special.

Understand your visual codes

For every brand behemoth like Coca-Cola, there are thousands of newer brands trying to stand out and attract the attention of potential customers.

Your visual codes are those elements of your brand that customers associate with your product or service. They include a logo but it doesn’t stop there. Your colour scheme, fonts, imagery and tone make up the brand codes that signal to customers it is you.

Create strong enough visual codes and your customers will know it is you even when you play with your codes — just like Google does with their daily doodles. This is how you can know the brand in a TV advert even before they expose the logo or product.

If you have a story, use it

Most entrepreneurial brands have one consistent thing — a powerful start-up story — and it can add depth and integrity to a brand for customers.

At Ella’s Kitchen, Paul Lindley’s job title is simply Ella’s Dad because he started the business to solve the problem of his daughter’s dislike of healthy foods. At bespoke tailoring companyA Suit That Fits, the wonderful story of co-founder Warren teaching in Nepal underpins the ethical manufacture that continues to this day — and customers relate to the brand more because of this.

Branding is a complex and emotionally-led business, but it has tremendous power in its ability to connect with customers and drive that all-important thing called “loyalty” that every high-growth business wants.

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Can your marketing make people feel good?

Many small business owners feel uncomfortable about marketing. Some positively hate it.

A new client of ours — the head of a very successful consultancy — has shied away from marketing for years because to him, it feels intrinsically wrong. In his eyes, markeing is putting on an act, pretending to be something you’re not. Like many people, he thinks there’s a dishonesty at the heart of marketing that doesn’t sit easily with the way he feels about himself or his business.

He’s not the only one. Pretending to be something you’re not is never a good feeling.

Don’t be a pushy marketer

We all have a short fuse when it comes to being marketed at by pushy marketers — cold callers, spammy emails, incessant amazing never-to-be-repeated deals (until tomorrow, that is, when you get them again). And that means we don’t want to be that pushy person ourselves 

We say look at marketing differently. When you approach marketing from the standpoint of ‘how can we help our customers better?’ rather than ‘how can we sell more stuff?’ it becomes easier. And, it works more effectively. It’s easy to switch off from a marketing message, it’s not so easy to switch off from something that genuinely answers a question that’s been really bugging you.

Right now, it would be impossible for me not to click on something that showed me how to get my 16-year-old son to revise.

You’ll stop seeing it as pushing, lying, or manipulation if you don’t push, lie or manipulate. Create marketing content that is genuinely helpful and you take the pressure off yourself.

Of course feel-good marketing is only possible if what you’re selling makes a difference. But that doesn’t mean you have to be Greenpeace, it just means you genuinely want to improve your customers’ lives.

Do good to feel good. That’s feel-good marketing.

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What makes people buy?

What factors help a customer to buy?

There are a wide variety of things that influence a purchase decision – budget, timing and personal psychology to name a few; but there is one fundamental factor that brings all these influences together – value.

Value is a subjective perception created through a blend of need, price and the belief that one product is better than another. Good value is seen as a high quality solution which meets all of a customer’s needs at a reasonable price.

Here’s how need, price and belief play into a perception of value:

Need

I see a pair of hiking boots on offer and I recognise the brand; but the fact that I don’t go hiking means that I won’t value them highly.

Some marketing works to convince the consumer that they have a need. For example, if I’d read an article explaining how hiking boots improved posture, helped stimulate blood flow and were good for your feet, then by the time I saw the boots I may have developed a “need” for them.

Grooming potential customers this way is an excellent way of enhancing the perceived value for your product or service and can help you break into new markets.

Price

Set your price point as high as you can; this helps to enhance the perceived value of your product.

A big mistake is to slash prices. This can work, particularly when it comes to more exclusive discounts, but offering a huge discount lowers the perceived value of the product. Who is going to pay “full price” for a sofa at DFS when most of the year they are offering 50% off?

Belief in product

The price point will often lead customers to believe one product is better than another. However, people will not be willing to pay a higher price if they do not believe in the product; the two factors work in tandem.

Belief is about your brand, your marketing and their knowledge of the product range. It is what 80% of your marketing budget helps to create. And it is the one area over which you have the most control.

So how do you go about creating this belief in your product or service?

There is no single method, but there is a core concept: “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I’ll remember, involve me and I will understand.”

Tell me

People may forget the specifics but they will be primed to receive your brand, and priming can be important in establishing credibility.

For example, you conduct a PR campaign where you write thought-provoking articles relating to your product or service. In the article you describe the problem (establish a need), drop some hints as to a solution (brand priming) and get it featured in an established trade magazine (credibility).

Show me

Visual memory is more powerful for most people than verbal memory, particularly when “show me” still involves some verbal explanation – “show and tell”. Exhibitions and trade shows are great for this.

Involve me

“Involving” your prospect creates an experience that uses all three types of memory/learning: verbal, visual and kinesthetic (touching and using) to create an almost unbreakable belief in your product. If you are there to tell the prospect the benefits, you can create a need. At the same time you show how the product or service meets those needs visually. Then, the final step, you let the prospect try with the product, get them involved in using it and create anexperience.

Creating a complete and immersive experience of your product or service increases recall, generates belief in the product and, in the end, turns prospective customers into brand ambassadors. You aren’t as likely to share the fact that you saw some new product, but you will want to tell people what you just tried out - experiences are made to be shared.

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Marketing techniques learned from a Navy SEAL

People have all different ways of looking at marketing. Some see it as a game of strategy, others see it as a metaphor for life, and Jeff Boss sees it as another mission. For 13 years he served as a Navy SEAL, during which time he had 8 combat deployments. Now as a business consultant, he uses the tactics he learned as a SEAL to help organizations become more adaptable.

Be surprising

This is why when he relates marketing strategies, it sounds more like a military playbook than new ways to appeal to customers. For instance, he related that the book Made to Stick references Israeli research who “assembled roughly 200 award-winning ads and found that the majority of the ads (89 percent) could be categorized into six templates. The interesting part was that most of these templates related to the phenomenon of unexpectedness.”

People like surprises, it tickles their sense of humor and wonder simultaneously and if you’re lucky, it gives them incentive to investigate your product more closely. Even hackneyed cliches can be spiced up with a twist. For instance what if  “butterflies in my stomach” was changed to “a torrential thunderstorm of stomach-dwelling butterflies”? People are familiar with the cliche but their interest is piqued with the new imagery.

Start an insurgency

No, Boss isn’t suggesting you start your own terrorist organization, but he is suggesting you do some undercover work. How are you supposed to know what the competition is up to if you never associate with them? “Embed yourself amongst the populace by going to conferences or tradeshows,” Boss suggested. “These target-rich environments offer unadulterated access to industry experts, leaders, insiders and—most importantly—press.”

Don’t be afraid of trial and error

You won’t make the right decision the first time every time. Don’t be afraid to take a step back and say, “This isn’t working. Let’s scrap it and start something new.” That’s why Boss suggested trying a number of tools from various companies before you make your final decision on which to invest in. GetResponse is an email marketing tool which “offers not just email-marketing campaigns, but also analytics, landing-page creation, and every sort of form builder you can imagine,” according to Boss.

Another option is Click to Call Market, a service which says, “We know your time is valuable, and the last thing you want to do is spend time trying to reach your leads. . . . You also only pay for quality inbound sales calls.” It might be a relief to delegate some of the marketing burden to an experienced set of professionals who can take care of a few tasks for you.

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Affiliate marketing: Using social media

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways a company can bring in more business. It helps a company to, more or less, get more referral business, which we all know is the best kind. But as an affiliate marketer, building up enough readers for your blog to make any money doing affiliate marketing can be really tough. And keeping your current readers interested is another challenge in and of itself. How are you going to make any money as a pay per call affiliate if you can’t keep people coming back for more? Fortunately, using social media can help you boost your numbers and help you bring in more cash.

Loyal readership

The key to doing well as an affiliate marketer is to have a loyal readership. This means you have to constantly work on and develop your relationship with your readers, according to Entrepreneur. You need to spend time posting on social media sites every day, and make sure you respond to all posts from your fans on social media. On top of that, taking time to share what your fans have to say once in a while will show it is a two-way street and that you care about them as much as they care about you. This kind of relationship building is very simple through social media because it allows you to communicate with your customers just as easily as they communicate with you. You’ll get much more loyal fans as you engage with them rather than just always expecting it to be a one-way street.

Engage in all types of social media

There are a lot of people with a Facebook who don’t do any other kind of social media. The same can be said for Pinterest or Instagram. Even Twitter has a lot of following that you won’t find anywhere else. Though it can seem overwhelming to stay on top of all these social media platforms, it will help you to reach everyone rather than the select few on the platform you are most comfortable with. It is better to be on one than on none though, so don’t avoid social media simply because it seems overwhelming. Find one that works for you (especially if you are just starting), and engage as much as possible with your readers. Soon, it will pay off.

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All You Need to Know About Custom T-Shirt

The current generation remain conscious about what they wear and how they look in the same. The fashion industry is raising high as the people are showing their utmost interest in it. There is separate fashion for both men and women, but what make them stand together in a row is the T-Shirt. It is the thing that is preferred by both the categories the most. However, the look and feel of the T-Shirt remain different for both male and female. But, when it comes to customization, there is no barrier, they can get custom T-Shirts in Canada the way they want.

Why Customization?

People of this advanced era want everything their way, whether it is wallpaper in the smart-phone or the apparel they wear. Customization allows them to present their thoughts on their favorite apparel. When we talked to the people who are in the business of customizing the things, they told us that the market share of the customized apparel is rapidly increasing. The orders we get for the customization are mostly the apparels. Thus, to be in the trend while staying unique, it is essential to go for custom apparels.

Effect

When you wear a customized T-Shirt based on your thoughts and creative ideas, you feel great and confidence. In addition, you also stand out of the crowd. If you are a person who want to stand unique everywhere, then customized T-Shirt can do the same for you.

Cost

The cost of the customizing a T-Shirt depends upon the what image or text you want to have on it. If it is a large image or have more number of texts, then customization cost will be high. However, the cost is not that high and falls in the budget limit of the masses. Thus, customized product can be purchased by both masses and classes.

Types

There are different types of print that can bring the design of your choice on the T-Shirt. Cloth being good material for printing can be printed through all printing options, which mainly include – Screen Printing, Rubber Print and Embroidery. The cost of printing is different of each category. People mostly prefer screen printing on the cloth as it is quick and cheaper in cost. Also, it provide clear print of the image or the text.

What is Trending?

Picture of the cartoon characters, super heroes and trending events are in trend when it comes to customized T-Shirt. However, a lot of people come with their own unique thought and idea. However, the trending customization ideas, include – smileys, super-heroes, self made quotes and own pictures. If you don't like the trending ideas than you can try some old yet interesting ideas, like – picture of your favorite celebrity, bikes and whatsoever you like. You can also try two pictures, which include a celebrity that resemble with you in any sense, and other picture can be yours.

When it comes to creativity, sky is the limit. Be as creative as you can and show the world your sense of innovation.

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Don’t Get Confused While Buying Rings And Bands

Every new bride loves to flaunt her wedding ring. It is one of the most special pieces of jewelry that she treasures all her life. So much so, that they attach a sentimental value to it and these are passed on among the family generations as heirlooms. Since the rings are so special, why not buy them after carefully checking out all the options. So, here we list some points that one should consider before buying the ring that represents their unending love and trust.

The most often bought rings are the ones with a round stone. This is so because it offers the most brilliance and fire. The round cut diamond rings are the most preferred by the young brides that can’t resist its shining charm. These rings are also the most expensive of the designs. This type of the diamond cut is also the most versatile as it fits into a number of designs. This cut shape is also the most difficult to attain as the craftsmen have to use all their skills to get the stone to the desired shape and simultaneously maintain the carat weight. Because of this, it has a luxurious look that is distinguished from the other looks and it stands out from the rest of the shapes.

The second most popular design that the brides to be prefer these days is the princess cut ring and band. In this design, the stone or the diamond central to the jewelry piece is square shaped rather than circular. This cut basically mixes the step cut with the brilliance cut. This increases the number of facets which further enhances its fire and brilliance.

In this design, more number of diamonds can be added to the shanks of the ring to give it more brilliance and fire. This enhances the appeal of the ring or the band. The princess cut ring is also cheaper to the round cut and is more affordable. These elegant pieces are also easy to craft. The stones in this shape often have sharp edges. So, the rings have a special design to protect them from chipping.

This design is currently the most prominent trend in the fashion industry. From the celebrities to the actresses, many noted personalities can be seen sporting these trendy rings on their ring fingers.

While shopping for an engagement ring or a wedding band, the people should consider the liking of the wearer.

The rings can be made according to the customer preferences. These can have a stone, stone cut, size, design or the setting as the customer likes. Some manufacturers also offer to make the customized designs of their clients. This gives the clients the choice to make their preferred jewelry in their budget.

The manufacturers who offer such a service of bespoke jewelry also employ in house designers. These designers can assist advice and suggest the clients on their jewelry that they wish to get made. This makes sure the rings and bands are truly unique and last a lifetime.

Thus, by carefully considering these few points, one can buy a ring that is as special and unique as the person you want to gift it to.

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Author Talking EP5 : Customers Strategies to Regulate Buyer Remorse

Buyer’s remorse is when you buy something and regret the purchase later on. This feeling is mostly associated with the purchase of expensive items, but it can also arouse in cases when you buy even some creepy items. It is something psychological and research studies have proven that emotions influence one’s behaviors. So how regret impacts one’s behavior, and what are the strategies a customer who regrets a purchase follow to regulate this painful feeling?

A new study conducted at the University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia, has tried to answer these questions. Researchers said that regret is a cognitive emotion people regulate the way they regulate any other emotions. “They engage in self-regulation process… Self-regulation refers to the process by which people initiate, adjust, interrupt, terminate, or otherwise alter actions to promote attainment of personal goals, plans, or standards” the study stated. 

Scientists mentioned that “in principle, the negative consequences of regret can be regulated in two ways:

1. Individuals can either actively change the conditions that led to regret;
2. Or internally adapt the behavior of regret by adjusting their perceptions of responsibility and control of regret.

Something referred to by researchers as primary and secondary control. “The primary control strategies are directed to produce a change in the external world. And secondary control strategies are directed towards the optimization of motivational resources and perceptions (related to oneself)… Responses related to regret are more oriented towards oneself, while those related to dissatisfaction are more oriented towards others. The responses related to regret tend to be internal and silent, in the presence of introspective emotions such as shame, while those related to dissatisfaction tend to be oriented outward in the presence of emotions such as anger and frustration” the study stated.

After results analysis, researchers stated that “it has been shown that people are often motivated to regulate their post-decisional regrets.  It is a painful feeling which hides behind an imbalance and psychological discomfort sometimes unbearable.”

So, in order to regulate customer regret, researchers stated different strategies customers follow after making a purchase they are not satisfied of.

1. “People can engage in activities focused on the objective to manage the level of regret felt by lowering the level of objectives fixed beforehand… lowering the level of objectives is a way to reduce the level of the objective to be reached by a decision to regulate their post-purchase regret.”

1. “Regulation of regret can also be made through strategies focused on the decision: To focus on the decision by canceling it altogether or justifying it by denying the responsibility of the error allows managing the level of regret felt.”

1. “People can also focus on the alternative even to mitigate their post decisional regret. The regulation strategies of regret focused on the alternative consist in reversing or changing the chosen alternative, re-evaluating its quality but also abandoning it altogether.”

1. “When no action of return, of cancellation or change of decision is possible, a psychological work of reparation can serve to restore this psychological balance. So people can have themselves convinced that no error was committed. They adopt a positive attitude, considering only the positive aspects of the decision. Similarly, they can have themselves convinced that even if it was a negative experience, it is thanks to negative experiences that we learn to improve regret.”

1. “People sometimes seek, after an experience of regret, a change of mood to forget their negative experiences. This will help regulate regret in them, for it is a way to overcome the past and minimize counterfactual thoughts.”

We are not always satisfied with the purchase decisions we make, and it happens when we pay for something and later on discover that we do not like it, or the amount we have paid in turn is much higher than its real value. Or we simply realize after a while that we have bought a useless item we’ll never use. So, we get into this painful feeling of regret. But, scientifically we always tend to regulate this feeling the way we do with any other feeling, and follow in this, a number of strategies and skills to come over this negative experience.

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Autor Talking EP4 : Market yourself as a small business

Big businesses can dominate markets with low prices, large product ranges and mass marketing. But small firms have the edge when it comes to quality, service and exclusivity. Afsheen Latif discovers how you can turn size to your advantage

Being small does not have to be a barrier to success - in fact, it can be a positive strength. Large organisations may seem to have many markets sewn up, but their one-size-fits-all approach to sales and marketing is not for everyone.

"Consumers associate good quality with small manufacturers," asserts Dennis Palmer, former senior client service manager at Business Link. "They picture businesses down the road, which gives a sense of product accountability and community."

Stress your difference

"Small businesses are at an advantage when it comes to finding and filling a niche," stresses Palmer. "Differentiate your offering. This can be in terms of quality or product type, or offering something that isn't available in the mass-market."

Take every opportunity to stress the benefits to your customers of buying from a small operation, and include the message on all of your marketing materials - even the packaging. Concentrate on quality and exclusivity: you might be 'family-owned', for example, use a 'handmade' process or provide 'bespoke' goods and services to order.

Reinforcing your community ties is equally important. "The green agenda is very important for customers," Palmer suggests. "Locally-sourced products have less environmental impact, because they have travelled fewer miles. Let consumers know if you are supporting the local community or being environmentally-friendly."

Quality service

Customer service is a vital selling point for small businesses, and an area where large manufacturers and retailers struggle to compete. "If you buy something anonymously in a shop and it goes wrong, the feeling is that you're not going to be able to do anything about it," Palmer explains.

"But if you buy from somebody local who you trust, you feel you can call them up and they'll do something about it. Successful businesses tend to work intimately with their customers," he continues. "Small firms can offer a friendly face, be trustworthy, flexible and approachable. You should focus on providing exceptional customer service."

This, he suggests, should include making a list of your regular customers and keeping them up to date with your products, services, offers, and news about the business. You could do this via notices around your premises, a newsletter that accompanies deliveries or your website. Make an effort to attend local events, such as markets, as well.

Expanding your customer base

Once you have established a strong presence in your local community, explore ways of breaking into larger markets. "Don't underestimate your online presence," advises Palmer. "Target it towards your local community, but remember it can help you reach more customers. I know of a fish smokery in Scotland that sells locally. But now they're selling internationally, purely on the basis that it's a local product you can trust."

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Author Talking EP3 : Effective Desk Management Increases Productivity

While some of the employees work at jobs requiring physical labor, most of the workers work at assigned workstations (desks) where they look at numbers and figures through a computer screen. Many peop...

While some of the employees work at jobs requiring physical labor, most of the workers work at assigned workstations (desks) where they look at numbers and figures through a computer screen. Many people, despite having the knowledge of time commitment, overlook the significance of working at a desk.

The following are tips on how to effectively increase productivity by utilizing desk space.

• Surrounding yourself, with things you like, can be productive.

It is argued that a clean desk helps in keeping mind unobstructed during work. While it is true for some, others feel free to decorate their work stations according to their tastes. Decorating desk with personal items is a continuous reminder that you have a life away from your desk as well.

Pictures of loved ones, inspirational slogans, art you like, saying on a sticky note, fake plant or other small objects (that you like) can help in triggering creativity during work.

• Listening to music can trigger creativity.

A person can be easily distracted by the hectic and noisy workplace he is working in. Listening to music helps to narrow your focus of attention. Even though putting on headphones may seem rude to some people, but it helps to drown the chaos surrounding you during work.

Music helps to evoke your inner desires which helps in stimulating creativity and, hence, increases overall productivity. Therefore, music availability at workstation is a must.

• Peeping through a window can be relaxing.

Some people are lucky to get a desk right next to a window. On the other hand, some are not lucky enough. Some argue that having a window right next to their desk is distracting. However, consuming natural light has many health benefits and it can be relaxing for eyes that have been staring at a computer screen.

Therefore, request for workstation right next to a window, if possible. It will help to increase your productivity at work.

• Taking a break is a must.

This one may seem the most obvious to you and least related to the organization of desk, but it is probably the most important one. This actually is considered one of the best ways to increase work productivity. But this does not mean that you wander around your workplace all day, making excuses to leave your desk so that you can avoid doing your work. But, standing up and taking a break from your workstation is essential in order to become efficient and effective during work.

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Author Talking EP2 : Promotional Business Gifts - Come with Dual Benefits

         Promotional business gifts can be a suitable option to acknowledge the employees and to make them feel their worth in the company. On the other hand, business gifts can also open door for the brand promotion.

          When it comes to endorse the brand, business people try each possible thing to do the same. It is the fact without promotion, business can not survive for the longer period of time. Similarly, it is also a fact that without job satisfaction of the in-house employees, business cannot progress on the same track. There are several programs through which business owners try to retain their employees. Employee retention ensures the success of the business up to an extent. However, it is also essential to look over the budget factor while you are focusing on retaining the employees. Thus, it is suggestible for the business individuals to go for the option that can offer them logical solution at affordable rates.

Promotional Business Gifts can be a suitable option to acknowledge the employees and to make them feel their worth in the company. On the other hand, business gifts can also open door for the brand promotion. But, the problem is to select the business gifts as most of the business individuals confuse about what to select as a business gift. Thus, we have come up with a list of option that can be used as the corporate gifts. Let's have a look:

Flash Drives – They can be great promotional gift as every individual love to have the same. They are useful and people carry them wherever they go which also ensure your brand promotion. When you will gift the same to your employee, they will feel happy to have a technical useful gadget as a gift.

Promotional Mugs – It is matchless as a gift. Every individual love to have mugs to sip the drink and beverages. You can customize the logo of the company along with the picture of the staff members on the mug and can distribute to your employees as a gift. They will surely feel good after having fine piece of creativity.

Promotional Apparel – Giving apparel as a gift can be a cool choice as everyone like to have the same. Custom logo printed t-shirts can be a good gift for the employees. In addition, it can also promote your brand effectively.

There can be other gifts as well that you can give to your employees, but the above mentioned can leave maximum impact. It is also suggestible for the business individuals not to compromise with the quality of the business gifts. If you come up with average quality product, it will leave a bad impression on the employees and also they will not appreciate such gift from heart. You need to remember that you are giving gifts to the employees to make them feel good, to motivate them and to acknowledge them for their efforts. It should be done in a genuine conduct which demand for top-notch quality product.

In addition, make sure the print of the logo on the gifts is appropriate, so that it can also endorse your brand effectively. Promotional business gifts put you in both side win situation. Thus, every business individual should give them a try.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Stockwell is a writer and is a regular contributor of articles relating to personalized promotional products and custom promotional items. Scott provides tips on how to make use of promotional products to improve the goodwill of your business.

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AUTHOR TALKING : Marketing strategy EP 1

A Marketing Strategy for Winners

A marketing strategy can either make or break your business.  As you know, there are many different aspects to a good marketing strategy.  You may be wondering which marketing strategy is right for you.  Also, how do you know which marketing strategy really works?  The best marketing strategy is the one that gains profits.  In this article, we will discuss the various aspects of a great market strategy.

The first marketing strategy you should look into is your website.  Make sure your web design is eye catching and easy to maneuver.  A marketing strategy you can add to this is to have attractive pictures or illustrations that get your customers attention.  This is always an important marketing strategy.

A second marketing strategy is to promote you product.  Any marketing strategy will tell you to get yourself noticed.  Different aspects of this marketing strategy are to send out flyers, business cards, post cards, etc.

A third marketing strategy is to use an autoresponder.  This automated form of a marketing strategy is commonly used.  Using an autoresponder to send out advertisements of your product is fast and convenient.  Everything is done by email. 

Another marketing strategy is to use a slogan or logo.  This is a great marketing strategy because it is a way for people to easily remember your business.  If they remember or recognize you, they are likely to use your website.

Another powerful marketing strategy is to use an SEO (search engine optimization).  Using this will attract more people to your sight.  This is because when they do a search for a particular service or product, the SEO will make sure your site is listed at the top of the search results.

A very important marketing strategy is to have a great price for your products or services.  This marketing strategy is an absolute must.  If your prices are not great, you will never have any business.  Try to show people why your prices are so great to entice them to make a purchase.

Finally, the last marketing strategy is to have good public relations.  With good public relations, your business will prosper through word of mouth.  Allow customers to submit feedback of your business.  Place positive feedback and testimonials on your website.  It makes your business look good and customers tend to prefer to use businesses that have positive feedback.

As you know you what a marketing strategy that will not leave you with empty pockets.  In reality, any marketing strategy is going to cost you a little bit of money.  But if you look in the right places and follow some good advice, your marketing strategy should leave you coming out on top.

Thank you 

AUTHOR

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.marketing-rentable.com a website specialized onMarketing, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Marketing. For more info visit his site: Marketing

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