We all use labels to define the people we interact with in our environment. He’s a liberal, she’s a conservative, that person over there is a slob, on and on we label throughout the day. It’s a natural thing to do. Part of our nature I guess. It helps us understand our surroundings by tucking people we meet or see into nice little cubby-holes for future reference. Sometimes we update these judgments with new information as it comes to us but often as not we hold the same opinions of others that we established when we first met them. Remember first impressions are usually right or at least we’ve been told.
Believe me I label as much as anyone. It’s not going to stop with one blog or a thousand blogs by me or anyone else. It’s just a fact, we in the human condition, label. Plain and simple, we label and that’s the end of it. Or is it?
Even though we may label one another as individuals or in groups doesn’t mean we can’t actually use it to our advantage both personally and as a way to change our society. Labeling actually can be a good thing. Studies have shown that when a child is labeled, whether negatively or positively, they usually live up to that expectation. Barring learning disabilities and other emotional problems, when a child is told they are smart and intelligent they usually rise to the occasion and deliver. Maybe not to a genius level but they do better in school and in society as a whole. Tell them either verbally or through other messages that they are worthless they become worthless. Both to themselves and society.
Let’s all begin labeling for the good. Right now our society needs good labeling. We need to stop using labels to tear down and begin to use them to build up. What our country needs now more than ever are the labels innovator, mentor, problem solver, creative thinker, inventor, visionary, and leader. We need to not only start labeling our children with such labels to give the future hope, but also give those labels to each other and ourselves.
We need inventors, that’s a wonderful positive label. We need men like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Alexander Graham Bell. Men like these didn’t invent in a corporate lab off somewhere in a huge corporate complex. These men and many like them invented in their humble homes and small workshops with little or no resources. They invented things that changed the world without huge budgets and lots of fancy equipment. Yet they persevered because they believed in their ideas. We need these kind of people now. Inventing new products that will sustain our economy for years to come. Just as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates did so many years ago in their garages. Hewlett-Packard started that way as well.
It not just inventors we need. We need leaders, creative thinkers, and problem solvers in all sorts of realms. Leaders that will stand up for good ideas and see them through. Creative thinkers and problem solvers who will blaze the trail for the rest of us and give us hope for solutions to our problems. No longer do we need wet blankets or people who only know the word no.
We need people with good judgment, good morals, and good ethics to help us fix what’s so badly broken…our nations spirit. We need compassionate people to heal the wounds of those who are hurting the most. We need good upstanding Americans to stop being negative and start seeing themselves and those around them positively.
This is how positive labeling works. Look at your neighbor, find a positive label for him or her and apply it to them every time you think about them or interact with them. See how your attitude changes about them. Now do it with all of those you interact with. Do it with your boss, your clients, your teachers, your wife and/or children. Do it with everyone you meet. Watch how things change not just for you but watch how those you come in contact with begin to blossom as people.
You see if we try hard enough we can always find one positive label for anybody. If we emphasize that instead of the negatives we might see we begin to see a world of possibilities instead of obstacles. As we begin to do this we can all label ourselves visionaries because that’s what we need now more than ever…visionaries. Heed the call, be a visionary, change the world. It starts with you.
If I can be of any help to any visionary small business owner struggling to tell her or his story please contact me at mirvin1129@yahoo.com or give me a call at 913-677-7060.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Trickle Down Doesn’t Work
We tried it for 12 years starting in 1980. We tried it again starting in 2000 for eight years. I think we finally are getting it. Trickle down economics doesn’t work. It might as a theory but in real-life it just doesn’t work. Why? Because of the human factor. But this blog is not about a discussion of greed and morals. Let’s explore a better way.
In case you haven’t noticed the way we do business is changing. Changing very fast. In the past few months we as a country have seen many large corporations and banks that we thought were solid as rocks suddenly appear at Washington’s door-step asking for bail-outs. Maybe had they been trickling down over the years to those below them our economy would not be in the shape its in now. Instead they chose the way of rewarding upper management way beyond the limits of common sense whether they performed well or not. Even while taking bail outs from the public trough they still gave out outrageous bonus’ to undeserving employees and managers. Where I come from if you don’t do your job well you’re shown the door not given a bonus, but that’s a topic for another day.
It’s time to change the thinking concerning how we do business today. With the technology available today we don’t have to be depended on large corporations and their lumbering bureaucratic structures to provide this country with jobs. This country wasn’t founded by large corporations, it was founded by small businessmen looking to create an environment that would nurture capitalism, not stifle it. Today, we are those people, the small business owners who will save this economy.
How can we save it? How can we, the small business owners, ever hope to save this economy? By our shere numbers. People who are feed up with being laid off at the slightest hint of a down turn, people who are tired of seeing good ideas die by committee on the conference table. People who are smart, thinking, innovative, and visionary, are fed up with large corporations and by the thousands are starting their own small businesses.
This is the revolution that this country needs. Thousands of small companies will strengthen our economy by diversifying it. By not having all of our eggs in one basket we become stronger as a nation. The time is right for a new idea.
Let’s send a message to the people at the top. We are fed up with your greed, your inability to lead, and your antiquated ways. We, the people, are now standing up and saying enough is enough. We are now calling the shots. From now on we are going to be a country of trickle up, not down. We, the small businesses of this nation, will, by our vast numbers, run this economy from here on out. We will innovate, revolutionize, and completely overhaul this economy. In doing so WE will reap the benefits, not the large companies. WE will trickle up what’s left over after we have had our fill, and we will play the tune that the rest will march to. Now is the time for all small businesses to pledge their support to this new way of thinking.
We need to learn how to do things faster, better and more productively. We need to cut out the waste and learn to operate lean and mean. We need to support each other collectively so we all succeed. We need to show the big corporations how it should be done. We need to be the leaders who will lead this country into a new era of prosperity. We will by our numbers have power and strength through networking and cooperation, not hateful competition and isolation. We will usher in a new era of doing business that this world has never seen because we are Americans and we have historically lead the world in business. We will create an environment that will nurture the free enterprise system and ensure that it will survive the next century unscathed and intact. We will win this revolution with ideas and innovation. Now in this time of crisis it’s time to stand up and be counted, just as our forefathers did so many years ago.
If I can be of any assistance to any small business owner struggling to get his message out there don’t hesitate to call me at 913-677-7060. Remember we’re all in this together.
In case you haven’t noticed the way we do business is changing. Changing very fast. In the past few months we as a country have seen many large corporations and banks that we thought were solid as rocks suddenly appear at Washington’s door-step asking for bail-outs. Maybe had they been trickling down over the years to those below them our economy would not be in the shape its in now. Instead they chose the way of rewarding upper management way beyond the limits of common sense whether they performed well or not. Even while taking bail outs from the public trough they still gave out outrageous bonus’ to undeserving employees and managers. Where I come from if you don’t do your job well you’re shown the door not given a bonus, but that’s a topic for another day.
It’s time to change the thinking concerning how we do business today. With the technology available today we don’t have to be depended on large corporations and their lumbering bureaucratic structures to provide this country with jobs. This country wasn’t founded by large corporations, it was founded by small businessmen looking to create an environment that would nurture capitalism, not stifle it. Today, we are those people, the small business owners who will save this economy.
How can we save it? How can we, the small business owners, ever hope to save this economy? By our shere numbers. People who are feed up with being laid off at the slightest hint of a down turn, people who are tired of seeing good ideas die by committee on the conference table. People who are smart, thinking, innovative, and visionary, are fed up with large corporations and by the thousands are starting their own small businesses.
This is the revolution that this country needs. Thousands of small companies will strengthen our economy by diversifying it. By not having all of our eggs in one basket we become stronger as a nation. The time is right for a new idea.
Let’s send a message to the people at the top. We are fed up with your greed, your inability to lead, and your antiquated ways. We, the people, are now standing up and saying enough is enough. We are now calling the shots. From now on we are going to be a country of trickle up, not down. We, the small businesses of this nation, will, by our vast numbers, run this economy from here on out. We will innovate, revolutionize, and completely overhaul this economy. In doing so WE will reap the benefits, not the large companies. WE will trickle up what’s left over after we have had our fill, and we will play the tune that the rest will march to. Now is the time for all small businesses to pledge their support to this new way of thinking.
We need to learn how to do things faster, better and more productively. We need to cut out the waste and learn to operate lean and mean. We need to support each other collectively so we all succeed. We need to show the big corporations how it should be done. We need to be the leaders who will lead this country into a new era of prosperity. We will by our numbers have power and strength through networking and cooperation, not hateful competition and isolation. We will usher in a new era of doing business that this world has never seen because we are Americans and we have historically lead the world in business. We will create an environment that will nurture the free enterprise system and ensure that it will survive the next century unscathed and intact. We will win this revolution with ideas and innovation. Now in this time of crisis it’s time to stand up and be counted, just as our forefathers did so many years ago.
If I can be of any assistance to any small business owner struggling to get his message out there don’t hesitate to call me at 913-677-7060. Remember we’re all in this together.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Now’s the time to expand
Looks like Pepsi-Cola is pressing forward. Not only have they totally revamped their branding and logo they now have released a “retro” version of its cola. Now made with real sugar (instead of high fructose corn syrup I’m guessing), the flavor is supposed to take us back to a time long ago when we were growing up and swigging a Pepsi on a hot summer day. I’m amazed that in this down economy that they are even advertising. After all the rule of thumb is that when the economy tanks you stop any and all marketing and advertising efforts, right?
Not so fast. It seems that Ford, Chrysler, and GMC, even in financial dire straits, are spending millions on advertising. Is it a last ditch effort to save themselves or good business? I’m sure that’s a topic for hot debate. Yet, I think there’s a lesson to be learned here. When hard times come, keep telling your story. GMC is doing some of their better marketing right now. They are hard selling their product. Giving us the facts, the information needed to make an informed decision. It’s not about style and emotion; it’s about why we should buy GMC instead of somebody else. Sound marketing that they should have been using all along. Maybe if they had been, coupled with a well-engineered product the public wanted, they wouldn’t be in the place they find themselves today.
Small businesses can’t afford to stop their marketing and advertising in this tight economy. No matter how small the effort, owners have to continue on an ongoing basis to tell their story. They must tell their target audience (potential customer) how they can do the job, furnish the service, or provide the product better than their competitors. If they don’t their competitors will and they will lose what market share they have. Now is not the time to pull in but to expand.
I know, marketing and advertising is expensive. Go to an ad agency and it’s like hiring a lawyer, and almost as expensive. Most won’t look at you if you don’t have at least $100K to spend. Try to do it on your own and it is just one more job you have to research and learn before you can do it effectively. So what’s a small business owner to do?
Talent is talent. Marketing and advertising is all about talent. Ad agencies have talent and they charge for it. A small business owner may have undeveloped talent but may not have the time or interest to educate and nurture it. I am one of many talented individuals who has chosen to be part of the growing freelance industry. We are talented, educated, and dedicated individuals who serve the small business community in a variety of ways. We are graphic designers, copywriters, creative project managers, web developers; the list goes on and on. We can provide great work at an inexpensive price. We can expand your small business market by partnering with you, the owner and helping you achieve your marketing goals in this tight economy.
So where do you find freelancers. You can contact someone like me, a Creative Project Manager who will help you pull together a team of people who will fulfill your needs project at a time or you can be your own CPM and hire the necessary people by using an organization like the Freelance Exchange (www.kcfreelanceexchange.com/index.php). This resource gives you access to over 150 talented people to choose from. It all depends on your time constraints.
The beauty of all of this is that you only pay these people when they do the work. There’s no retainer (unless you desire one). There’s no monthly fee. Just payment for the project (each individual is a small business owner and as such each as their own payment policies so be sure to discuss that before signing a contract.) They are a pool of talent that is at your disposal to do as much or as little marketing and advertising as you need, when you need it.
So now you have a resource to draw on and no excuse not to market and advertise your small business. If I can be of any assistance I can be reached by phone at 913.677.7060 or my email at mirvin1129@yahoo.com. Please don’t hesitate to call me. As always the first meeting is free.
Not so fast. It seems that Ford, Chrysler, and GMC, even in financial dire straits, are spending millions on advertising. Is it a last ditch effort to save themselves or good business? I’m sure that’s a topic for hot debate. Yet, I think there’s a lesson to be learned here. When hard times come, keep telling your story. GMC is doing some of their better marketing right now. They are hard selling their product. Giving us the facts, the information needed to make an informed decision. It’s not about style and emotion; it’s about why we should buy GMC instead of somebody else. Sound marketing that they should have been using all along. Maybe if they had been, coupled with a well-engineered product the public wanted, they wouldn’t be in the place they find themselves today.
Small businesses can’t afford to stop their marketing and advertising in this tight economy. No matter how small the effort, owners have to continue on an ongoing basis to tell their story. They must tell their target audience (potential customer) how they can do the job, furnish the service, or provide the product better than their competitors. If they don’t their competitors will and they will lose what market share they have. Now is not the time to pull in but to expand.
I know, marketing and advertising is expensive. Go to an ad agency and it’s like hiring a lawyer, and almost as expensive. Most won’t look at you if you don’t have at least $100K to spend. Try to do it on your own and it is just one more job you have to research and learn before you can do it effectively. So what’s a small business owner to do?
Talent is talent. Marketing and advertising is all about talent. Ad agencies have talent and they charge for it. A small business owner may have undeveloped talent but may not have the time or interest to educate and nurture it. I am one of many talented individuals who has chosen to be part of the growing freelance industry. We are talented, educated, and dedicated individuals who serve the small business community in a variety of ways. We are graphic designers, copywriters, creative project managers, web developers; the list goes on and on. We can provide great work at an inexpensive price. We can expand your small business market by partnering with you, the owner and helping you achieve your marketing goals in this tight economy.
So where do you find freelancers. You can contact someone like me, a Creative Project Manager who will help you pull together a team of people who will fulfill your needs project at a time or you can be your own CPM and hire the necessary people by using an organization like the Freelance Exchange (www.kcfreelanceexchange.com/index.php). This resource gives you access to over 150 talented people to choose from. It all depends on your time constraints.
The beauty of all of this is that you only pay these people when they do the work. There’s no retainer (unless you desire one). There’s no monthly fee. Just payment for the project (each individual is a small business owner and as such each as their own payment policies so be sure to discuss that before signing a contract.) They are a pool of talent that is at your disposal to do as much or as little marketing and advertising as you need, when you need it.
So now you have a resource to draw on and no excuse not to market and advertise your small business. If I can be of any assistance I can be reached by phone at 913.677.7060 or my email at mirvin1129@yahoo.com. Please don’t hesitate to call me. As always the first meeting is free.
Monday, April 13, 2009
I just don't get it
I know things are tight. The economy is very slow and people are not spending like they used to. Instead they are making very deliberate decisions on how and when and on what they spend their money. It makes a lot of sense especially in this economic climate. The thing I don’t get is that so many businesses have stopped advertising and marketing as part of their cost cutting. I understand turning out lights, adjusting the thermostat, doing without buying a new delivery truck or hiring new people. I can see why a small business would shop around their insurance needs, look for a lower cost space or for go buying new equipment for a while until things get better. However, advertising and marketing is what brings customers in.
Maybe most small businesses don’t need new customers or more revenue. If that’s the case why are we in a recession? Eighty per cent of our GNP is supplied by small businesses so why isn’t the economy booming if the majority of our producers (small business) are doing just fine. I just don’t believe that’s the case.
Now is not the time to pull back on advertising and marketing. Getting people in the front door is a small businesses life-blood. Without customers you might as well close the doors and go home. I don’t think that’s why most started a small business. They started it to succeed and have some control over how much they make. Advertising and marketing is key to both success and controlling your income. The more you advertise and market your business, the more customers, the more business, and the more profits you will have.
Now that doesn’t mean you just go out and throw money at your advertising and marketing. You still need to research, decide on a marketing plan, and watch carefully your expenditures and the return you get for them. I know you already are the bookkeeper, salesman, maintenance guy, and the janitor so you don’t need to take on yet another hat.
There is a way to effectively and inexpensively increase your advertising and marketing. You need to partner with a Creative Project Manager. A CPM will meet with you. Help you plan a strategy, help you pick a creative team that is just right for your needs and supervise the work from concept to completion of the project. Once the project is completed the team you’ve created with your CPM is at your service for the next project and so on. In the mean time you just pay for the work completed. You get great creative from a wonderful group of freelance talent and you save a lot of money over an ad agency or marketing firm.
If this sounds like a solution you have been looking for please call me at 913.677.7060 and let’s talk about increasing your presence in your target market. I am a Creative Project Manager with more than twenty years experience in the business. I am here to be of service to you and your business. Give me a call and let’s talk.
Maybe most small businesses don’t need new customers or more revenue. If that’s the case why are we in a recession? Eighty per cent of our GNP is supplied by small businesses so why isn’t the economy booming if the majority of our producers (small business) are doing just fine. I just don’t believe that’s the case.
Now is not the time to pull back on advertising and marketing. Getting people in the front door is a small businesses life-blood. Without customers you might as well close the doors and go home. I don’t think that’s why most started a small business. They started it to succeed and have some control over how much they make. Advertising and marketing is key to both success and controlling your income. The more you advertise and market your business, the more customers, the more business, and the more profits you will have.
Now that doesn’t mean you just go out and throw money at your advertising and marketing. You still need to research, decide on a marketing plan, and watch carefully your expenditures and the return you get for them. I know you already are the bookkeeper, salesman, maintenance guy, and the janitor so you don’t need to take on yet another hat.
There is a way to effectively and inexpensively increase your advertising and marketing. You need to partner with a Creative Project Manager. A CPM will meet with you. Help you plan a strategy, help you pick a creative team that is just right for your needs and supervise the work from concept to completion of the project. Once the project is completed the team you’ve created with your CPM is at your service for the next project and so on. In the mean time you just pay for the work completed. You get great creative from a wonderful group of freelance talent and you save a lot of money over an ad agency or marketing firm.
If this sounds like a solution you have been looking for please call me at 913.677.7060 and let’s talk about increasing your presence in your target market. I am a Creative Project Manager with more than twenty years experience in the business. I am here to be of service to you and your business. Give me a call and let’s talk.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Greed is finally dead. It’s all about the service now.
Here in the Kansas City area there’s a local BBQ chain. It was started many years ago and has made its owners, the Gates family, not only wealthy but prominent citizens in the community. The second you cross the threshold of their establishments no matter which of their several they have opened over the years, you are taken aback by a enthusiastic voice at the counter asking you, “May I help you!” very loudly. More of a statement of fact than a question. It’s one of the business’ trademarks. Everyone who has ever darkened their door knows the phrase. It has become an institution of sorts here in the area.
Notice that the phrase was not “How may I help you?” or “Can I help you?” or “Would you like me to help you?” No it’s a statement of I’m going to help you because that’s my job and I’m proud of it. The phrase tells the customer in no uncertain terms that his/her experience at their restaurant is going to involve service, plain and simple. It let’s the customer know that service is to be expected, a right if I may. Not just mediocre service but enthusiastic service.
Over the years we as business owners and employees have lost our “May I help you!” attitude. We have become a nation of “Don’t bother me, can’t you see I’m working?” types. We’ve forgotten that it’s the customer who makes our house and car payment. That sends our kids to college and clothes our backs. We’ve lost the attitude of service that has for so many years driven our economy to great heights.
Why? Why, when it has worked so well for so long did we become so wrapped up in our own interests? Why have we (that’s the collective “we” there are many, many people out there practicing the art of service and reaping its benefits) as a society turned to greed over the past couple of decades? Look at Mr. Madoff. Where did his greed get him? How much more successful and free would he have been had he practiced true service to his clients.
Some would like to blame it on the decline in church attendance, the declining morals, TV, rock music and sex. Maybe there is some truth to this but I think it goes a lot deeper. Its called the Limbic system and it is at the core of our brain. It’s the fight or flight mechanism that protected us during our prehistoric period. We still have it today. Its natural, when we are threatened the adrenaline kicks in and we go into survival mode no matter who we have to walk over. Just because its natural doesn’t mean that its right, however.
Morality, religion and what our parents taught us aside, service is just good common sense. Until the decade of greed, the 80’s, service worked. McDonald’s built their empire on it as did many, many other businesses that are thriving today. Look around you. Those in trouble are the ones that cut the corners, leveraged their profits at the cost of their product or service, or skimmed the cream from the top.
Case in point. Car sales plummeted and GM and Chrysler went running to the government. What did Hyundai do? They offered a program to help the customer. If you were to lose your job within a year of buying a Hyundai they would make up to three payments for you. If your situation didn’t improve after that they will take the car back and not hurt your credit. Service? At it’s finest. Now Ford is offering the same type of service. Ford has caught the vision and they’ll prosper for it if they keep it up.
So how can you become more service minded. Start with a smile. Not just on your face but in your voice. Greet everyone you meet as a potential client or customer. Treat them with respect and dignity, take the time to see to their needs. Don’t look at them as a means to profit but as a new and lasting relationship. Think of them as friends. Use the golden rule liberally. Above all be polite and courteous. Start right now and see how it changes your outlook. Remember greed is dead, it’s all about service. Its all about service to customer, service to neighbor, service to community, and service to country. May I help you!
Notice that the phrase was not “How may I help you?” or “Can I help you?” or “Would you like me to help you?” No it’s a statement of I’m going to help you because that’s my job and I’m proud of it. The phrase tells the customer in no uncertain terms that his/her experience at their restaurant is going to involve service, plain and simple. It let’s the customer know that service is to be expected, a right if I may. Not just mediocre service but enthusiastic service.
Over the years we as business owners and employees have lost our “May I help you!” attitude. We have become a nation of “Don’t bother me, can’t you see I’m working?” types. We’ve forgotten that it’s the customer who makes our house and car payment. That sends our kids to college and clothes our backs. We’ve lost the attitude of service that has for so many years driven our economy to great heights.
Why? Why, when it has worked so well for so long did we become so wrapped up in our own interests? Why have we (that’s the collective “we” there are many, many people out there practicing the art of service and reaping its benefits) as a society turned to greed over the past couple of decades? Look at Mr. Madoff. Where did his greed get him? How much more successful and free would he have been had he practiced true service to his clients.
Some would like to blame it on the decline in church attendance, the declining morals, TV, rock music and sex. Maybe there is some truth to this but I think it goes a lot deeper. Its called the Limbic system and it is at the core of our brain. It’s the fight or flight mechanism that protected us during our prehistoric period. We still have it today. Its natural, when we are threatened the adrenaline kicks in and we go into survival mode no matter who we have to walk over. Just because its natural doesn’t mean that its right, however.
Morality, religion and what our parents taught us aside, service is just good common sense. Until the decade of greed, the 80’s, service worked. McDonald’s built their empire on it as did many, many other businesses that are thriving today. Look around you. Those in trouble are the ones that cut the corners, leveraged their profits at the cost of their product or service, or skimmed the cream from the top.
Case in point. Car sales plummeted and GM and Chrysler went running to the government. What did Hyundai do? They offered a program to help the customer. If you were to lose your job within a year of buying a Hyundai they would make up to three payments for you. If your situation didn’t improve after that they will take the car back and not hurt your credit. Service? At it’s finest. Now Ford is offering the same type of service. Ford has caught the vision and they’ll prosper for it if they keep it up.
So how can you become more service minded. Start with a smile. Not just on your face but in your voice. Greet everyone you meet as a potential client or customer. Treat them with respect and dignity, take the time to see to their needs. Don’t look at them as a means to profit but as a new and lasting relationship. Think of them as friends. Use the golden rule liberally. Above all be polite and courteous. Start right now and see how it changes your outlook. Remember greed is dead, it’s all about service. Its all about service to customer, service to neighbor, service to community, and service to country. May I help you!
Monday, March 23, 2009
There is an Inexpensive Way.
The computer age has made a lot of things assessable to the general population. Think about it, just a few short years ago if you needed to research something it meant a trip to the library and hours and hours of pouring over stacks and stacks of books. No longer. All one needs is access to the internet and a world of knowledge is just a click away.
The digital age also changed advertising and it’s assessability to the public. Used to be if you wanted to have an ad designed it was a long and labor-intensive process. First you met with an advertising account executive and discussed your idea. Then a few days or weeks later you would again meet and look at some marker comps of your ideas. Once you decided on one the photography, illustration and typesetting would begin. After all the pieces were assembled then the ad would go into production and a full size, full color piece would be completed and photographed, separated and sent to the various publications you wanted it to appear in. This was a very expensive process involving many well-trained people each with his own specialty.
Then in the mid 80’s the computer opened up the design world to rest of us. Sadly desktop publishing as it was known back then gave many the tools but not the training to produce ads, brochures, and promotional pieces. Even today you see direct mail pieces and brochures designed by someone working in Microsoft Word.
The old adage that even bad advertising is effective isn’t always true. Do you really want your business to put across the feeling to your potential clients that you are working out of a closet in your basement even if you are?
“But I can’t afford to contract an ad agency to do my advertising,” you may say. “After all, I am just a small business.” Not to worry. The digital age has made affordable talent available to everyone no matter how small of a business they run.
Enter the Creative Project Manager (that's me). The CPM meets with you, the business owner, and assesses your needs. He then maps out a plan of action and once agreed upon pulls together a team of professional freelance talent to complete the project. You pay only for the time spent on the project and the materials used. No retainer fees, no monthly payouts to an agency, no financing fancy offices. In return you get the same level of quality as the big ad agencies provide at a fraction of the cost. You work with a team you helped chose and you can customize the size of your project to your budget.
Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it. Give it a try I know you’ll be pleased with the results and your business will look like the fortune 500 companies. Call me at 913.677.7060 if I can be of service to you.
The digital age also changed advertising and it’s assessability to the public. Used to be if you wanted to have an ad designed it was a long and labor-intensive process. First you met with an advertising account executive and discussed your idea. Then a few days or weeks later you would again meet and look at some marker comps of your ideas. Once you decided on one the photography, illustration and typesetting would begin. After all the pieces were assembled then the ad would go into production and a full size, full color piece would be completed and photographed, separated and sent to the various publications you wanted it to appear in. This was a very expensive process involving many well-trained people each with his own specialty.
Then in the mid 80’s the computer opened up the design world to rest of us. Sadly desktop publishing as it was known back then gave many the tools but not the training to produce ads, brochures, and promotional pieces. Even today you see direct mail pieces and brochures designed by someone working in Microsoft Word.
The old adage that even bad advertising is effective isn’t always true. Do you really want your business to put across the feeling to your potential clients that you are working out of a closet in your basement even if you are?
“But I can’t afford to contract an ad agency to do my advertising,” you may say. “After all, I am just a small business.” Not to worry. The digital age has made affordable talent available to everyone no matter how small of a business they run.
Enter the Creative Project Manager (that's me). The CPM meets with you, the business owner, and assesses your needs. He then maps out a plan of action and once agreed upon pulls together a team of professional freelance talent to complete the project. You pay only for the time spent on the project and the materials used. No retainer fees, no monthly payouts to an agency, no financing fancy offices. In return you get the same level of quality as the big ad agencies provide at a fraction of the cost. You work with a team you helped chose and you can customize the size of your project to your budget.
Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it. Give it a try I know you’ll be pleased with the results and your business will look like the fortune 500 companies. Call me at 913.677.7060 if I can be of service to you.
Enough is Enough!
Enough is enough! I’m sick and tired of hearing how “bad” things are right now. I can’t turn on the TV, cruise the internet or listen to the radio without being bombarded with how bad things are and with it the constant finger pointing. Who IS to blame? Well when it gets right down to it, we as individuals are.
We are responsible for our attitudes and how we look at things. If we see bad we will experience bad. Some where some time ago somebody said a recession is coming. Then as he dwelled on the negative he told others how bad things were going to get. Then that group of people grew larger until before you knew it the stock market took a dive and the housing market fell. People stopped buying, cats and dogs started living in sin together…well you get the drift.
Negative attitudes have a snowball effect. We as individuals have the control over ourselves. There is no “Devil made me do it” get off scot-free card. We and we only control what we think. We can be negative and see this economic glass half empty or we can see the opportunities that are really there.
Take advertising right now. Most small companies as well as the bigger ones are cutting back on advertising. Advertising rates on practically all the media are going at bargain basements rates right now. Now’s the time for small businesses to expand their advertising, tell their story, and expand their market so that when the economy begins an upswing they will be positioned better than ever in their market.
We can make the difference. By helping each other, partnering with each other, and sharing our expertise with one another, we, yes WE, the people can get the economy off its butt and up and running again. Its time for us at the bottom of the food chain to make the difference and not wait on trickle down. For once we should take control and generate the wealth, reap the benefits, and then let what’s left trickle up.
But how can I do that? I’m just one person with little or no resources. Start with your thinking. Remember the phrase, “Whatever you can believe and conceive you can achieve?” Well that not just some little diddy some sales manager thought up to motivate his sales force. It is a scientific fact. It’s called the Thomas Theorum: Whatever a person believes is real in its consequences. In other words if you fear the future it will become something to fear. If you see opportunity, prosperity, and good times ahead it will happen for you. If we collectively think positive about the future it will happen that much sooner. If we as a nation would start thinking positive about the future being great starting today buy the end of the week you would see results.
So you and I, the individual, have a patriotic duty to the future of our country to begin to affect the change in the economy beginning with our attitude. Eliminate the can’t do’s and no’s in your life and replace them with “why not”. Why not make that cold call? Why not approach that potential client, why not try that new system you heard about? Let’s invest in ourselves, our neighbor’s and our friends and less in the unknown. Let’s devote our time to our communities and our networks to positively effect our country’s recovery. Let’s rededicate ourselves to the ideals that made this country the greatest on earth, the ability to overcome any obstacle in our way through a positive attitude.
We are responsible for our attitudes and how we look at things. If we see bad we will experience bad. Some where some time ago somebody said a recession is coming. Then as he dwelled on the negative he told others how bad things were going to get. Then that group of people grew larger until before you knew it the stock market took a dive and the housing market fell. People stopped buying, cats and dogs started living in sin together…well you get the drift.
Negative attitudes have a snowball effect. We as individuals have the control over ourselves. There is no “Devil made me do it” get off scot-free card. We and we only control what we think. We can be negative and see this economic glass half empty or we can see the opportunities that are really there.
Take advertising right now. Most small companies as well as the bigger ones are cutting back on advertising. Advertising rates on practically all the media are going at bargain basements rates right now. Now’s the time for small businesses to expand their advertising, tell their story, and expand their market so that when the economy begins an upswing they will be positioned better than ever in their market.
We can make the difference. By helping each other, partnering with each other, and sharing our expertise with one another, we, yes WE, the people can get the economy off its butt and up and running again. Its time for us at the bottom of the food chain to make the difference and not wait on trickle down. For once we should take control and generate the wealth, reap the benefits, and then let what’s left trickle up.
But how can I do that? I’m just one person with little or no resources. Start with your thinking. Remember the phrase, “Whatever you can believe and conceive you can achieve?” Well that not just some little diddy some sales manager thought up to motivate his sales force. It is a scientific fact. It’s called the Thomas Theorum: Whatever a person believes is real in its consequences. In other words if you fear the future it will become something to fear. If you see opportunity, prosperity, and good times ahead it will happen for you. If we collectively think positive about the future it will happen that much sooner. If we as a nation would start thinking positive about the future being great starting today buy the end of the week you would see results.
So you and I, the individual, have a patriotic duty to the future of our country to begin to affect the change in the economy beginning with our attitude. Eliminate the can’t do’s and no’s in your life and replace them with “why not”. Why not make that cold call? Why not approach that potential client, why not try that new system you heard about? Let’s invest in ourselves, our neighbor’s and our friends and less in the unknown. Let’s devote our time to our communities and our networks to positively effect our country’s recovery. Let’s rededicate ourselves to the ideals that made this country the greatest on earth, the ability to overcome any obstacle in our way through a positive attitude.
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