Replace Your Bad Habits With New Behaviors May 30, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, marketing, management , add a comment
Back in the 70s, Kojak was one of the most popular cop shows on television. When actor Telly Savalas, who played the lead role, decided to give up smoking, his character did the same with the use of lollipops. It was an instant hit and Telly walking around with lollipops became somewhat of a signature for the show.
Fast Company has a post about something similar:
If you want to change something in your life, it’s common to try to stop the behaviors you don’t like. While this certainly seems logical, it seldom works. The reason is simple - it unintentionally creates a vacuum where the old behaviors used to be. And since nature hates a vacuum it will fill it with anything it can find - usually the very behaviors you’re trying to stop since they’re so familiar. Instead of stopping certain behaviors, try focusing on what you want to create - and the new behaviors you need to get there. Eventually, with practice, new behaviors will develop enough muscle to naturally replace the old ones.
Of course, this has practical purposes for everything from smoking to dealing with your spouse to marketing to your customers. What new habits do you want to replace?
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Economy Jumps Ahead May 25, 2006
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Outpacing estimates of 4.8%, the gross domestic product (adjusted to an annual rate) grew at 5.3%, the fastest in 2 1/2 years, according to the Commerce Department.
The upgraded numbers on GDP, based on more complete information, mostly reflected stronger U.S. exports and better inventory building by businesses.
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Moms For Sale?
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Well that’s not quite right. But what do you call the latest idea from Proctor & Gamble? The company has figured out a way to get over 600,000 moms to recommend and promote its products and services through the Holy Grail of advertising: Word of Mouth.
According to this article,
By crafting product messages mothers will want to share, along with giving them samples, coupons, and a chance to share their own opinions with P&G, the Cincinnati consumer-product giant is using personal endorsements to cut through advertising clutter. “We know that the most powerful form of marketing is an advocacy message from a trusted friend,” says Steve Knox, Vocalpoint’s [A website created by P&G] CEO.
Immoral ploy or marketing genius? I’m going with genius.
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A Cure for Unfocused Meetings?
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When was the last really productive meeting you had? For most of us, it’s been a long time.
Enter the Meeting Planner Organizer Worksheet. It’s a simple sheet available free as a PDF file here. The worksheet assists in planning an agenda for a meeting, following that agenda during a meeting, taking notes and determining next actions.
Give it a try at your next meeting and see if it doesn’t help create a more focused, productive result.
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New Home Sales Jump Unexpectedly May 24, 2006
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In spite of rising mortgage rates, sales of new single-family homes jumped a whopping 4.9% in April, the highest level since December of 2005. Most industry observers expected a decline due to mortgage rates which are now at four-year highs.
More details can be found here.
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If At First You Don’t Succeed…
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, real estate, retail , add a comment
According to this post (among others), Dell is about to try again in the retail sector.
Though their first attempts through mini-stores inside Sears were apparently a dud, the company has had some success with kiosks in many malls. Now the company is ready to open two full-fledged 3,000-square-feet retail stores; one in the NorthPark Center in Dallas and the other at the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York–both of which are already home to Apple stores.
Staying true to their direct delivery channel, however, the stores will have no inventory. Customers will place orders and receive their purchases at a later date.
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Web Site Purchased by Tribune
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Tribune Publishing, the owner of such newspapers as the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, has purchased real estate web site ForSaleByOwner.com, according to Tribune’s web site. The amount of the purchase was undisclosed.
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Thirty Ways to Boost Direct Mail Response May 23, 2006
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By Dean Rieck
Whether you’re creating a new direct mail campaign or updating an old one, you have an infinite variety of choices for improving response. Based on decades of testing, here are 30 of the easiest and most effective.
- Make an irresistible offer.
- Give away something free to boost response.
- Prefer a free gift over a discount.
- Increase the perceived value of your offer.
- Reduce the perceived risk in accepting your offer.
- Offer attractive payment options.
- Use a time limit to increase urgency.
- Test a two-step offer for high-priced goods.
- Test a yes/no offer to clarify the buying decision.
- Test a yes/maybe offer to lower perceived commitment.
- Dramatize your offer with stamps or stickers.
- Make your offer tangible with a check or coupon.
- Create your envelope to get noticed and get opened.
- Use teaser copy to tease, not tell.
- Consider using a plain envelope.
- Try an official-looking envelope.
- Use a low-key envelope for business prospects.
- Use your sales letter to sell and your brochure to tell.
- Make your letter look like a letter.
- Grab attention in your letter with a short first sentence.
- Express one central idea in your letter.
- Write your letter in a friendly, personal tone.
- Call for action early and often in your letter text.
- Have a high-authority person sign your letter.
- Personalize your letter if possible.
- Use a P.S. to cite a benefit, deadline, or extra detail.
- Use your brochure to add credibility.
- Use brochure tables, charts, diagrams, and visuals to support your claims.
- Design your brochure for easy reading.
- Use clear benefit heads and subheads in your brochure.
Dean Rieck is president of Direct Creative, a full-service creative firm.
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National Association of Realtors Wants Banks to Stay Put May 18, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, construction, government, real estate, finance , add a comment
The National Association of Realtors is pressing for a “permanent ban” on banks from the real estate market, according to this article.
“The bottom line is banks should stick to banking and to limited, congressionally authorized other activities, such as community and economic development investments,” the Realtors’ president, Tom Stevens, said.
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Bush to Nominate Correll to Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, mining , add a comment
According to their website, President Bush will nominate John Correll as the director of the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation (OSM).
Acting Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett today praised President Bush’s intention to nominate John R. Correll as director of the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation. The announcement is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate, once the official nomination is made by the President.
With more than 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors, Correll has served since 2002 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.
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