I really never thought I would have to put this into writing. I actually assumed that everyone using the Internet understood this. But hey, I am a big thinker, I do not spend my time thinking about or sweating the small stuff. Until it came to my attention how harmful this is to the real business marketers out there and how silly it is for this to even be an issue.

So what is it? It is search engine results advertising, or pay per click advertising.

A couple of years ago, I took an Internet marketing class, although it was basically a waste of my time, there is one thing which really stands out from that class.

We were taught “”when advertising on the Internet, find something that is really hot and connect your keywords to it”" to generate more traffic and greater results. The example we primarily used was “”who is hot in entertainment”". For example, if Britney Spears is in the news, use her as a keyword and link your site and your ad to anyone who is searching for information on her.

Well, at the time, I thought it was silly and actually unethical, so I never used that technique. After all, people searching for Britney would never be looking for a way to improve themselves or even a home based business.

But today, I find this tactic is being so badly misused in Internet Search Marketing. Google any legitimate business or person and what you will find is paid advertising, ads that blast or slam the company only to bring attention to another company.

I find this especially true in home based businesses, but don’t just take my word for it. Google any legitimate business, businesses where people are having amazing success and results and see for yourself what those with no ethics are doing.

You will find things like “”Why I did not join”", Why I quit”", “”This is a scam”" and the disgusting antics go on and on and on.

Most Internet marketers would NEVER pay any attention to ads such as this. Marketers know these people are just using unethical approaches to ride the tide of success of other legitimate marketers. But the inexperienced public does NOT know this. Unfortunately they believe what these guys are saying. All they really have to do is click on the ads and see that it is actually an ad for another company. Duh! How hard is this to figure out??

Why do you think advertising always slams the other guy? If the other guy is hot, then jump on the bandwagon. That is all these sleazy people are doing, is jumping on the bandwagon of success. Making a disgusting attempt to legitimise themselves by disenfranchising the real marketer.

So, what do I suggest? Do your homework. Talk to people who are ACTUALLY involved in the opportunity so see what they think. Talk to the Attorney General of the listed home state, talk to the Association of Home Business, talk to the State Incorporation offices, they will tell you all you need to know. BUT, do not listen to unethical, sleazy people who do not know how to advertise without slamming another company.

Anyway, why would ANYONE want to get started with a business who bases it’s advertising on slamming other businesses? That would certainly be a red flag to me and businesses started with this technique are surely going to have little success. It is the law of nature, the Law of Reciprocity”".

And one more thing I absolutely must add here…

Adults have to be responsible for their own results in life. If someone fails at any business opportunity, it is because THEY failed. Either they did not follow the already proven systems (trying to reinvent the wheel), or they were waiting for someone else to do the work for them, or maybe even they never expected to succeed anyway. I truly believe this is why most failures occur, there was never a level of expectation for success.

You should also trust your feelings in these cases as well. If a product feels right, if it is hot, if it is cutting edge, and if others are having success, then there is no reason why you can not as well as long as you are willing to do the work.

So get out there and find what you are looking for, but stay away from paid advertising slamming your company and let those who are practicing this know, it DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU!

To your success…

Wanda Grindstaff is recognized in the Direct Sales industry as a true leader. She teaches a very simple system to assist people in accomplishing major income goals. Serious entrepreneurs are invited to request information on starting a home based business. For more information, visit her here.

Article Source

Tags: marketing, ethics, ethical, competition, compete

Business marketing, the simple act of bringing together the buyers and the sellers has gained such importance in business today that there are specialized strategies for this purpose. Various marketing strategies that are a mixture of innovation and expertise are tried out every now and then. While some of them are winners and hit bull’s eye in the first attempt itself, there are others that fail. If you are a new entrepreneur and are looking for some winning marketing strategies then you have come to the right place indeed. Today, the consumer is more product savvy and hence you need to be more market savvy in order to get the marketing strategy right.

Direct Marketing

Of all the proven marketing strategies, none have gained as much reputation as direct marketing. A successful direct marketing campaign will give you amazing results and will propel your business to newer heights. If you can set up a database of the most probable and right customers and mail to the right customer all the time, then your direct marketing campaign will produce better results. The right customer will read your mail while the others will dismiss it as junk. You want more people in the right customer category than in the junk category. Boost your mail with the right information and dialogue. List the benefits of your product or program in small sweet paragraphs. Finally make an impact with it.

Online Marketing and lead generation

If there is anything in the last decade that has changed the way we live, then it is the internet. So you need to incorporate the internet into your business marketing program. There are several online marketing strategies that are proven winners. Lead generation, affiliate marketing, direct marketing and many more such marketing programs are available online. There was a time when lead generation on the internet was considered to be a dead end. But now there are more precise lead generation models that have put the earlier lead generation practices behind. Lesser number of fraudulent leads is being generated and the other online marketing strategies are also improving.

Guerilla Marketing

This relatively new low cost marketing strategy has created a huge impact on online marketing in the last few years. It relies on the principle that direct marketing is saturated and customers today are unaffected by these strategies. Hence guerilla marketing relies on getting you and your product in the places which customers are most likely to be present in the future. This has a great chance of giving your business the right kind of boost and a head start. There are many strategies that are used in guerilla marketing. The thank-you-take-away packet is one of the most used methods. This not only gives your customer a value added service by means of the packet, but it also thanks the customer for using your service. This keeps your company fresh in the minds of the customers.

Other methods

Besides these, there are many other marketing strategies that can be a part of your winning business plan. It all depends on what your target audience mainly comprises of. Put in the right amount of research and you will surely hit the right note with your marketing plan.

William King is the director of Wholesale UK Distributors, Importers, Dropshippers & Manufacturers Directory, Wholesalers, Traders, Manufacturers, Dropshippers & Distributors Directory, and Canadian Wholesalers and Dropshippers Canada Dropshipping Directory. He has 18 years of experience in the marketing and trading industries and has been helping retailers and startups with their product sourcing, promotion, marketing and supply chain requirements.

Article Source

Tags: business, marketing, plan, strategy, advertising

Changes in Corporation Attitudes

In the past, it has been very easy to get caught up purely in a business’s profitability and financial performance. This influence has been brought on by people and shareholders as they expect ever increasing returns on their hard earned investment dollars.

Having recently attended the Australian Institute of Company Directors CDC Course, we were given examples of companies that desire to achieve more than profit. Interestingly, these included businesses that dealt with products such as petroleum and fast food.This additional desire is based on the theory that by being good corporate citizens, companies will be more attractive to deal with and profitability could be even more enhanced which would ultimately lead to an improvement in their share prices.

What is the Triple Bottom Line?

Traditionally, the notion of the “triple bottom line” approach is a way of assessing and comparing large public companies only.But initially, let’s ask ourselves, what is Triple Bottom Line?

Well, the first “bottom” line is usually looking at how a company’s finances are going.The second “bottom line” is the company’s environmental record.The third “bottom line” is the company’s social record.

Whilst many small businesses quite rightly need to ensure they are profitable, isn’t it possible that it would be good to adopt the “triple bottom line” approach to our own businesses and reap the benefits accordingly particularly in regional communities? In fact, it is quite ironic that many small regional businesses do this (perhaps without realising it) and the large public companies are finally registering that this is a good thing and hence following suit.

Don’t Fake it!

Many of us should have as part of our culture and values, honesty and integrity. This cannot be faked and eventually, those businesses that try to fake it, are caught out.How can the second and third bottom lines be measured? This can be quite difficult when assessing your business your desire to achieve measurable standards other than profitability. However, this is a challenge worth persisting with.

What is the Community/Public Looking For?

Many communities and the public are looking for higher standards from business before they will deal with them.For example, people will buy products from businesses they trust in and in which they have confidence. They will feel good in doing so. Also, employees work better when associated with businesses in which they feel pride. They have less interest in their work if they are working for businesses they are embarrassed to admit to their relatives and friends that they work for. An ethical business has high morale.

Act Now!

As part of your overall business strategy, you may wish to consider how your business contributes to your community. You might set participation rates in charity/community events each year involving principals and staff or set aside sponsorship dollars per annum and allocate them across a broad section of the community. It may be to have a policy to deal with local business wherever possible (subject to reasonable parameters involving competitiveness, service etc). You may also wish to have a culture that is environmentally responsible within your workplace and promote this to your staff and clients.

By sitting down and quantifying not just your annual profit and budget targets but also, how you would like your business to make the world a better place, you may find you receive additional benefits and profitability you hadn’t expected in the first place.Big business is finally realising this – small business should never underestimate it.

More information on this article can be found here and also at this site.

Article Source

Tags: marketing, ethics, ethical, competition, compete

“I don’t get it. Why do so many people hate Walmart? I’m actually a big fan of Walmart. They offer some of the most competitive prices for nearly… everything! Walmart is the single biggest employer in the United States. It employees well over 1 million workers, and gives them the option to opt into a health care program. Wal-Mart pays an average full-time hourly worker of $10.11 an hour, according to independent expert statistical analysis*. That’s nearly double federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Let’s analyze Walmart a bit further by looking at the usual complaints and responding to them.

Complaint: Walmart drives out competition! They’re evil!
My Response: Walmart beats the competition. They offer the same product at a cheaper price. That means they are more efficient then their competitors. Since when was being successful a crime? Let’s look at a scenario. Let’s pretend YOU made a new website. Let’s say your new website competes with Google. Your new website is amazingly efficient, user friendly, and always gets the best search results. You start making millions of dollars. Your new website is absolutely phenomenal. Whenever someone searches something, they always find exactly what they’re looking for. You managed to do this because you spent countless months developing your new search engine. Your new website also gets praise from the entire country for being such a resourceful website. However, due to the result of your new success, you managed to bankrupt both Google and Yahoo by offering cheaper rates. Did you do anything wrong? Absolutely not! You created a BETTER product then your competitors, and in result, they had to close down, because they couldn’t adapt to their new competition. This is exactly what Walmart did. They created an extremely efficient method of getting products and putting them on the shelf at low costs.

Complaint: Walmart strong-arms its suppliers for the lowest possible prices.
My Response: Why should Walmart pay the same price for a TV as Joe’s electronics? Walmart purchases 1,000,000 TVs at once, while Joe’s electronics purchases 5. The truth is that suppliers love Walmart. (source below). Why wouldn’t they? When you talk about transactions, you have to understand basic economics. Whenever a transaction occurs, both parties always benefit. If that wasn’t the case, the transaction would not have occurred. Lets look at the most basic example. When I purchase a gallon of milk for $2 at 7-Eleven, I clearly want the milk more then I want the 2$. The 7-Eleven clearly wants my 2$ instead of the gallon of milk. Whenever Walmart needs to restock, they contact their suppliers and negotiate a price. If both parties agree, the order is fulfilled. If the supplier cannot agree on a price with Walmart, the supplier has the option to decline. Walmart will then seek a different supplier to get the order filled. If no supplier will fulfill Walmart’s order, Walmart will most likely raise its offer and try to negotiate once again with its suppliers. Is this penny pinching method evil? Of course not! Walmart is trying to get the best deal possible. Since when was that ever a despicable act? A consumer usually checks the price on higher tag items at multiple retailers before making a purchase, why shouldn’t Walmart do the same thing?

Complaint: Walmart is a monopoly!
My Response: Walmart is not a monopoly. Anyone can compete with Walmart. If you want to talk about monopolies, take a look the United States Postal Service or PSEG. If you compete with the Postal Service on non urgent first class mail you will get locked up. You won’t get locked up for competing with Walmart. Walmart currently has fewer than 10% market share for retail in the United States. Hewlett Packard (HP) currently has a 16.9% worldwide market share in the personal computer market, why aren’t they labeled a monopoly? Intuit, the maker of QuickBooks, has a 73.9% of the accounting software market, and they aren’t criticized nearly as much as Walmart is. Where do the complaints really come from? The consumers? No way! Walmart serves over 100 million customers each week. They wouldn’t keep coming back if their experience wasn’t satisfactory.

Original Article is here.
Visit us, and learn more about Libertarian politics! Learn about Capitalism, and why small government works!

Some of Walmart’s Achievements / Awards:

2007: Guangdong 10-Year Outstanding Chain Supermarket

2006: Most Satisfactory Supplier in Shenzhen

2006: China Retail Industry’s Top Employer

2006: Top Multinational Company in Asia

2006: Academician-Recognized Best Employers in China

2005: Best Companies to Work for in China

2005: Employers of the Year in China

Visit the Website

Article Source

Tags: marketing, ethics, ethical, competition, compete

“I don’t get it. Why do so many people hate Walmart? I’m actually a big fan of Walmart. They offer some of the most competitive prices for nearly… everything! Walmart is the single biggest employer in the United States. It employees well over 1 million workers, and gives them the option to opt into a health care program. Wal-Mart pays an average full-time hourly worker of $10.11 an hour, according to independent expert statistical analysis*. That’s nearly double federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Let’s analyze Walmart a bit further by looking at the usual complaints and responding to them.

Complaint: Walmart drives out competition! They’re evil!
My Response: Walmart beats the competition. They offer the same product at a cheaper price. That means they are more efficient then their competitors. Since when was being successful a crime? Let’s look at a scenario. Let’s pretend YOU made a new website. Let’s say your new website competes with Google. Your new website is amazingly efficient, user friendly, and always gets the best search results. You start making millions of dollars. Your new website is absolutely phenomenal. Whenever someone searches something, they always find exactly what they’re looking for. You managed to do this because you spent countless months developing your new search engine. Your new website also gets praise from the entire country for being such a resourceful website. However, due to the result of your new success, you managed to bankrupt both Google and Yahoo by offering cheaper rates. Did you do anything wrong? Absolutely not! You created a BETTER product then your competitors, and in result, they had to close down, because they couldn’t adapt to their new competition. This is exactly what Walmart did. They created an extremely efficient method of getting products and putting them on the shelf at low costs.

Complaint: Walmart strong-arms its suppliers for the lowest possible prices.
My Response: Why should Walmart pay the same price for a TV as Joe’s electronics? Walmart purchases 1,000,000 TVs at once, while Joe’s electronics purchases 5. The truth is that suppliers love Walmart. (source below). Why wouldn’t they? When you talk about transactions, you have to understand basic economics. Whenever a transaction occurs, both parties always benefit. If that wasn’t the case, the transaction would not have occurred. Lets look at the most basic example. When I purchase a gallon of milk for $2 at 7-Eleven, I clearly want the milk more then I want the 2$. The 7-Eleven clearly wants my 2$ instead of the gallon of milk. Whenever Walmart needs to restock, they contact their suppliers and negotiate a price. If both parties agree, the order is fulfilled. If the supplier cannot agree on a price with Walmart, the supplier has the option to decline. Walmart will then seek a different supplier to get the order filled. If no supplier will fulfill Walmart’s order, Walmart will most likely raise its offer and try to negotiate once again with its suppliers. Is this penny pinching method evil? Of course not! Walmart is trying to get the best deal possible. Since when was that ever a despicable act? A consumer usually checks the price on higher tag items at multiple retailers before making a purchase, why shouldn’t Walmart do the same thing?

Complaint: Walmart is a monopoly!
My Response: Walmart is not a monopoly. Anyone can compete with Walmart. If you want to talk about monopolies, take a look the United States Postal Service or PSEG. If you compete with the Postal Service on non urgent first class mail you will get locked up. You won’t get locked up for competing with Walmart. Walmart currently has fewer than 10% market share for retail in the United States. Hewlett Packard (HP) currently has a 16.9% worldwide market share in the personal computer market, why aren’t they labeled a monopoly? Intuit, the maker of QuickBooks, has a 73.9% of the accounting software market, and they aren’t criticized nearly as much as Walmart is. Where do the complaints really come from? The consumers? No way! Walmart serves over 100 million customers each week. They wouldn’t keep coming back if their experience wasn’t satisfactory.

Original Article is here.
Visit us, and learn more about Libertarian politics! Learn about Capitalism, and why small government works!

Some of Walmart’s Achievements / Awards:

2007: Guangdong 10-Year Outstanding Chain Supermarket

2006: Most Satisfactory Supplier in Shenzhen

2006: China Retail Industry’s Top Employer

2006: Top Multinational Company in Asia

2006: Academician-Recognized Best Employers in China

2005: Best Companies to Work for in China

2005: Employers of the Year in China

Visit the Website

Article Source

Tags: marketing, ethics, ethical, competition, compete

Ethics have always been an important aspect of every business activity, although the term has meant different things at different times in different lands to different people. Nonetheless, as ethical concerns are an inseparable element of business, advertising can not ignore them. Sadly, the advertising industry has rarely cared to look beyond immediate marketing objectives. The argument in the industry is that it is the government’s job to judge what is right and what is wrong. Shirking its own responsibility for regulation, the industry has belittled business values and agencies have harmed their balance sheets.

For any business, customer is very important, and businessman attempt to communicate to all their target customers using means of communication like advertising and sales promotion. Advertising is a very powerful and most commonly used tool.

Benefits of advertising

• Communication

The organization has to attract the customer and create a market for its products. For this purpose, advertising is the most powerful and widely used tool for communicating message regarding products/services to a large target audience.

• To raise the standard of living

In our developing economy, adverting with its micro and macro level influences, exerts vast and varied influences that have played key role in raising the standards of physical and material well being of the Indian society.

• To make market competitive

In India, one finds many innovations being introduced which has changed the market structure from seller’s market, and thus the result is more competitive market conditions.

• Product differentiation

It is a fact that advertising brings about products variety through real and psychological product differentiation.

Critical evaluation of advertising

Though many benefits are achieved through advertisements, the ad message is becoming more and more exaggerated. To achieve competitive advantage, advertising magnifies unimportant differences, resorts to clever, tricky product promises, and claims more and more unbelievable benefits. The customer finds many advertisements as false, deceptive, or misleading. Consumers are uncertain regarding whether or not the performance of a product purchased will in fact meet their needs. If they find that the product lacks in quality, advantage, durability etc., as advertised they might not buy it again, and develop an aversion to every other product of that company.

Unethical advertising

Advertisement is considered unethical in the following situations;

• When it has degraded or underestimated the substitute or rival’s product.

• When it gives false or misleading information on the value of the product.

• When it fails to give useful information on the possible reaction or side effects of the product. And

• When it is immoral.

Ways of misleading the consumers

• Many a time, traders entice the customers into their stores by advertising goods at a very low price, but they stock only a handful of such sale items in the store. When the advertised goods are sold out, consumers are steered towards the higher-priced stock or lower quality goods.

Retailers must ensure that reasonable supply of products is available during the sales, and retailers should not purposely avoid it. Retailers should make it clear in the advertisement that how many items on sale are available or when the sale ends.

• Sale offer should be for a limited period. Advertisement should declare that sale offer is for a limited time period. The period of the offer should be made clear in the advertisement only when the advertised goods are available for a limited period or stocks are limited.

• Traders often offer insignificant price reduction. To illustrate, a trader may advertise that the price of product is reduced to Rs.99.95, when the normal selling price is Rs.100.. The trader must include the normal selling price and discounted price in his offer .The trader sale offer is misleading if the trader claims the product is below cost , when the price is not below cost after discounts, rebates and other allowances it is misleading if the trader simply shows a fictitious higher price as normal selling price in the advertisement.

• Advertisement must clearly indicate the total price of goods or services. All price comparison must be truthful and must not intentionally or unintentionally mislead the consumers. Under the Fair Trade Practices Act, retailers have an obligation to ensure that they do not mislead or make false representations to customers with respect to price of the goods. The consumers who shop around and compare the prices of various products are less likely to be deceived by misleading claims consumers should also be aware of what is a reasonable price of goods and not take any advertised discounts at face value.

• While many sales are legitimate or genuine, the consumers should not get attracted to such sales offers i.e., “”Hurry…very few days remain for sale”. The consumers should be aware of what to expect when retailers place items on sale and how to avoid being misled by discount advertisements. A marketer should take care to ensure that when goods or services are advertised to be available at a discount or as being on sale, it is a genuine discount or sale.

Remedies to overcome deceptive advertisements

• Cease-and- Desist Orders

The cease-and-desist orders, which prohibit the respondent from engaging any more in deceptive practice, are actually the only formal procedure established by the Federal Trade Commission Act for enforcing the prohibition of ‘ deceptive acts and practices.”

• Restitution

Restitution means the consumer is compensated for any damage caused to him by the product that had advertised claims not adequately substantiated. Restitution is rarely considered because of its severity.

• Affirmative Disclosures

If an advertisement has provided insufficient information to the consumers, an affirmative disclosure might be issued Affirmative disclosure require ‘clear and conspicuous disclosure’ of omitted information. Often the involved information relates to the deficiency or limitations of the product or service possibly relating to matters of health or safety.

• Corrective Advertising

Corrective Advertising requires the advertisers to verify past deception by making suitable amendment in any of its future commercial.

Self Regulation in Advertising

It is our responsibility to regulate our operations. And we must do it ourselves. Self regulation is not a quick-fix solution; it will be completely ineffective with out commitment from and the integrity of one and all. Self Regulation may require the following;

• The development of a self-regulatory code of conduct covering all forms of media that is sensitive to ethics, legalities, decency and truthfulness in advertising.

• Provision for monitoring and accountability, including a policy allowing for the removal of ads that violate the code.

• Greater participation of advertising professionals in the regulatory process.

• The inclusion of non-industry players in the process

• Consumer awareness of the self regulation system.

• Simplification of the complaint process against ads.

• Transparency throughout the entire system.

These reforms will achieve three goals. They will make the industry accountable for its actions. They will make regulators and critics think twice before attacking the industry and finally they will lead the public to trust ads, advertisers and agencies.

Conclusion

Reputable companies and advertising agencies avoid telling lies. They realize the cost of being caught. A dent in trust can prove to be much costlier than the failure of an ad campaign or for that matter, even a brand. The challenge before advertisers and agencies is to ensure that ads reflect our values. We must endeavor to see that “advertising” does not remain a dirty word.

Dr.Gomathi Viswanathan

Article Source

Tags: marketing, advertising, company, management, ethics

The current regulatory environment enveloping the title insurance industry is clouded by constrained enforcement resources, minimal oversight of title agents and a lack of coordination among state and federal regulators, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) long-awaited report on the title insurance industry.

On April 17, the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, released the results of its much ballyhooed probe of the title industry, launched a year ago at the request of then-House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley.

The report, titled “Title Insurance: Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of the Title Industry and Better Protect Consumers,” identified significant barriers to the successful regulation of the title industry, but for every weak link in the regulatory chain, the GAO offered a remedy, calling for the active participation of federal, state and local regulators.

“Given consumers’ weak position in the title insurance market, regulatory efforts to ensure reasonable prices and deter illegal marketing activities are critical,” the report stated. “Given the variety of professionals involved in a real estate transaction, a lack of coordination among different regulators within states, and between HUD and the states, could potentially hinder enforcement efforts against compensation for consumer referrals. Because of the involvement of both federal and state regulators, including multiple regulators at the state level, effective regulatory improvements will be a challenge and will require a coordinated effort among all involved.”

This effort is one strongly supported by all industry players, but exactly how and when the GAO’s recommendations will be implemented is a source of some debate.

Frustration exists at federal and state levels

Limited state and federal oversight of the title industry has resulted in proposals for change, the GAO found, but those changes are focused on the state level, mainly in the affiliated business arena.

“Some state regulators expressed frustration with HUD’s level of responsiveness to their requests for help with enforcement, and some industry officials said that RESPA rules regarding ABAs and referral fees need to be clarified,” the GAO said.

However, the more limited regulation and oversight of title agents and AfBAs in less active states could provide greater opportunity for potentially illegal marketing and sales practices, the GAO said. While the GAO listed states such as Colorado, California and Minnesota as leaders in enforcement and oversight, the report concluded that states’ enforcement of anti-kickback and referral fee provisions were uneven.

That would place the onus on HUD, but HUD officials expressed concern over a lack of enforcement authority for RESPA Section 8 violations, the GAO said.

“According to HUD officials, it is difficult to deter future violations without stronger enforcement authority, such as civil money penalties, because … companies view small settlements as simply a cost of doing business,” the GAO said.

Viewing these concerns as critical to the health of the industry, the GAO made a number of recommendations to improve oversight at each government level as well as to better coordinate the various efforts of those regulators.

Agents: Where’s the beef?

State regulators could most benefit by examining title agent costs, the GAO found. Officials in several state insurance departments last year questioned whether agents are worth their premium splits, and the GAO quickly picked up on this debate, finding that regulators do not fully assess title agents’ costs during rate reviews.

“Few regulators review the costs that title agents incur to determine whether they are in line with the prices charged,” the report stated. “In fact, in the majority of states, agents’ costs for search and examination services are not considered part of the premium and thus, receive no review by regulators. Therefore, title agents charge separately for their search and examination services, yet they receive about the same percentage of the premium as agents in states where these costs are included in the premium.”

Title insurers told the GAO that they generally share the same percentage of the premium with their agents, around 80 to 90 percent, regardless of whether those agents were in states where consumers pay for agents’ search and examination services within the premium rate — known as all-inclusive states — or whether they were in states where agents can charge consumers separately for those services — known as risk-rate states.

However, reliable data to determine whether consumers in risk-rate states consistently paid more than those in all-inclusive states does not exist, the GAO said, and thus recommended a “multi-step process that could involve detailed analysis of some title agents.” While the GAO placed the onus of this auditing function on state insurance regulators, some industry experts pointed out that reporting requirements currently vary by state, making it difficult for some companies to provide the type of uniform data needed to form constructive conclusions.

In California, for example, some companies are concerned that the Department of Insurance’s proposed statistical reporting requirements will force them out of business, as they cannot now provide data from past years that was not required of them at the time.

“Some of the information the GAO wants to collect drills into personnel and hiring practices and micromanages the entire process,” said Joe Petrelli, founder of Demotech, a ratings firm based in Columbus, Ohio. “It’s a level of detail I don’t think people have. It’s a tremendous layer of fixed overhead that no one anticipated, and it’s not like you can snap your fingers and get that type of detail.”

Matters for Congressional consideration

As far as Congress’ role in the melee, the GAO recommended that Congress reevaluate certain aspects of RESPA.

“Revisiting RESPA to ensure that consumers receive this information as soon as possible when they are considering any type of mortgage transaction … could be beneficial,” the GAO said.

The GAO’s recommendations to Congress were twofold. Congress could provide HUD with increased enforcement authority for Section 8 violations, such as the ability to levy civil money penalties. Congress could also make a detailed homebuyer information booklet available to consumers.

These recommendations are in line with what HUD’s RESPA office has likely been discussing since Fall 2005, when the department retreated into its chambers to mull over RESPA reform. Thus, by all accounts, the GAO’s Congressional recommendations stand a fair chance of becoming reality.

“HUD has long sought such authority, and the GAO report may be HUD’s best chance to get it,” said Rich Andreano, partner with the Washington, D.C., law firm Weiner Brodsky Sidman Kider PC.

Doubting Thomases

But the apparent consensus between HUD and the GAO does not mean these recommendations will see the light of day, at least in the foreseeable future, said some skeptical industry leaders.

Some industry players are hedging their bets that the recommendations will be swept under the carpet as Congress contemplates changes to predatory lending and FHA reform.

Noted RESPA attorney Phil Schulman of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis said, “The timing of the report works in the industry’s favor, given that the focus on Capital Hill and elsewhere is on subprime lending and the avalanche of foreclosures, not title insurance reform.”

National mortgage training expert Christopher Cruise observed that “the title insurance industry has dodged a bullet here. Asking the states to step up their enforcement activities seems reasonable, but, except in a few states with strong insurance commissioners, that simply won’t happen. I believe, in the long run that this report will have minimal effect and that title insurance rates will change little, if at all.”

Ken Trepeta, regulatory policy representative for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), likewise said, “The RESPA civil penalties issue is intriguing, but I wonder if anyone in Congress really has the stomach to revisit RESPA. I know Sen. [Mel] Martinez is interested in RESPA, but he has spoken more along the lines of disclosure.”

The writing on the wall

Although some are skeptical that the report will matter much in this era of increased scrutiny on predatory lending and mortgage issues, others believe it is a fallacy to say that the problems of the title and settlement services industries are that far removed from the problems in the mortgage industry.

Indeed, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, has commented, “The GAO’s findings are significant, and I look forward to reviewing those findings thoroughly.”

Some respected sources have indicated to The Legal Description that Congress has been waiting for the results of the GAO report in order to determine if there were issues that needed to be addressed before putting RESPA and title industry reform on the front-burner.

Other industry leaders willing to speak on the record agreed that this scenario is not as farfetched as some skeptics believe.

“Congress obviously is still reviewing this and will be, I presume, taking that under consideration along with any other appropriate legislation,” said Sue Johnson, executive director of the Real Estate Services Providers Council Inc. (RESPRO). “I would be surprised if Congress did not touch base with HUD to check on the status of their RESPA rule and consult with them. A lot of this has to simply play out.”

Andreano was perhaps most confident in the prediction that Congress will put all of the pieces of the puzzle together to bolster its ongoing homeownership initiatives.

“I think it’s safe to say that the GAO will not be on the title industry’s Christmas list this year,” Andreano said. “While the report focuses on, and is critical of, the title industry, all settlement service providers need to focus on Congressional reaction. Clearly, title industry revenues are now under a microscope and the industry needs to be prepared to address scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers.

Amy Swinderman is the editor of The Legal Description, a trade publication specializing in focused analysis of legislative, regulatory and legal issues facing the title insurance and real estate settlement services industries. The Legal Description is a publication of October Research Corp, the nation’s premier provider of real estate industry news and analysis.

Article Source

Tags: marketing, ethics, ethical, competition, compete

Business ethics are sometimes hard to define. Have you ever been offered money to do something that didn’t pass the “smell test”? You didn’t know why, but you just had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. My advice…don’t ignore that feeling. What you do in your business potentially effects more than just you; it effects your staff, your customers and your family.

It Can Happen to Anyone

The cases of Enron and Martha Stewart are extreme cases that we don’t see everyday, but consider this story about a medical doctor, Daniel Carlat. Dr. Carlat is a psychiatrist who marketed pharmaceutical products for companies. At one point, he earned one-fifth of his salary by being on the speaking circuit, “educating” his colleagues about these products. Nothing about what Dr. Carlat was doing was illegal, but in the end Carlat’s conscience wouldn’t let him continue and he ultimately quit. He came to the realization that not all money is good money. He made a choice that allowed him to live with himself.

Ethics Checklist

Maintaining your ethical standards isn’t always as simple as a gut check, but that certainly can be starting point. Use that feeling to pause and investigate further. Create an ethics checklist to go through when you need it. Here’s an example of questions you can ask yourself:

* Does this assignment violate any laws?
* Does this assignment violate any rules of ethics within my profession?
* Does this assignment violate any company policies?
* Does this assignment violate my personal moral or ethical standards?

Rosalyn Watts is the author of “The Expectation of Purpose.” She is a small business consultant who left her successful law practice to pursue her purpose and passion of helping other small business owners focus, start and prosper. Rosalyn shares her message of entrepreneurship through articles, workshops, and private consultations.

To request a copy of “The Expectation of Purpose” or for her free 5-part series entitled, “How to Get Money to Start Your Business” sign up

Article Source

Tags: ethics, article, business, medical, marketing

Recently, while in my Bangor, ME office I asked a fellow business person why they didn’t include a fairly common Internet solution offered by almost everyone in the current business environment. The answer was striking. He said, “Because that’s the way we do things in Maine.” As if to say, Maine business held a special exemption, due to its regional uniqueness, from providing customers with basic services that most other businesses offer as a matter of course.

As someone born and raised in the state of Maine, I was frankly shocked. The Internet, CNN, fiber optic cable and international cell phone coverage, to name just a few technologies, flattens not only our experience of the world, but the experience of our customers. When people talk about a “flattened” world what is meant is a world that is now much more transparent. Anyone or anything can be Googled. Any process or technology is available on line for all to see whether in Bangor or Bangalore. In short, everything is visible to everyone.

Since transparency is the rule of the day, business is impacted in new ways. Not only is process visible, but most processes become commoditized. In other words, few will find any particular edge in the platform or process itself. In my business of pensions and 401K plans, as just one example, there is almost no difference in platform from one 401K provider to the next. The only difference now is me. Globalization creates a transparency and commoditization that creates very little differentiation in basic products and services.

This means business needs to rethink its approach. The approach that matters in this new environment is refocusing on “how” we do business. In other words, if everyone now sees what everyone else is doing and can offer what everyone else offers, then the distinguishing feature of our business is the “how” of our particular approach. Character is going to count again. Honesty, integrity and placing the customers needs above our own is what will rule this new global day.

There is no longer the “Bangor way of doing things” or the “Bangalore way of doing things.” Now, there is one very transparent way of doing things that the whole world can see. What does Bangor have to do with Bangalore? A lot! The new standard of business is a global standard. No one is safe in their small, parochial world. Business cannot be accomplished well if uninformed, much less if delivered in a sloppy or unprofessional way, all in the name of “regional style.” Further, business people will no longer be their own arbiter and judge as to whether or not they are uninformed or unprofessional. The standard will be the definition adopted by their customers as those customers become shaped by the global standards that are delivered to each customer as they sit looking at their laptop. Bangor and Bangalore are very close indeed.

For further information concerning retirement please visit Stephen O Meidahl’s website or read Steve’s well regarded book, “Lessons OF A Real Life Investment Advisor.”

Article Source

Tags: business, ethics, global, institute, marketing

“This morning I woke to the noise of a lawn mower near my window. I rolled over to view the clock and saw that I had 3 more hours to sleep before time to hop out of bed. “Is someone mowing my lawn?” my sleepy brain questioned. Then I reasoned “Eh… probably the neighbors having theirs mowed with one of those loud commercial mowers.” Part of me knew better— that part of me was still mostly asleep.

I rested my head once again and fell into a rather shallow sleep for about half an hour only to be woken up by a loud knock on the door. The man at the door was dripping wet, red faced, and sprinkled with grass clippings. He had taken it upon himself to mow my lawn and was now looking for payment.

This had all the sales and marketing thought of the guy who jumps in front of your car at the red light and washes your windows before you can even say “Stop! I just came from the carwash! No more washie! No washie!”

This can even be compared to the sales associate who says “And you’ll want the insurance plan… great value…” and selects it for you before you can consider if you actually do want it.

Or when you are handed a contract to sign with boxes checked and options selected that you were never even notified were possible. How are you expected to sign off on something without knowing what you are agreeing to?!

Shoot first and ask for the sale later? It may work for some of the people some of the time, but it will not earn you a customer. If it earns you a sale, you lucked out. The sale happens because the customer felt uneasy about speaking up, felt sorry for you, trusted your opinion, or decided they wanted the sale anyway. More than likely, it will be one of the first two and you are likely to lose the customer’s trust while annoying them. There are many customer out there who would be so appalled at the tactic that they would cancel the sale all together or say “I didn’t agree to this!” making the completion of the sale nearly impossible.

Anyone willing to perform such thoughtless service isn’t very business minded. Why? Because getting a sale is temporary. You have to constantly sale in order to maintain your job and finances. What you should try to get is a customer. If a customer feels pressured, annoyed, or cheated they won’t be your customer for much longer. What you gain in the moment, you lost for the future.

You must, and I cannot stress this enough, include the customer in your sale. After all, without them there would be no sale at all. If you explain the options, offer a service, and value their opinion they may turn down the extras but they won’t turn down you.

When the man mowing lawns showed up to collect his payment, he received his asking price but I let him know that we have other means of lawn care. While we appreciate his efforts, his services are not needed. Sad thing, too, since just a few days before my roommates and I were discussing hiring someone to cut the lawn on a regular basis and maybe do some landscaping. He proved to us that he would choose to mow the lawn without our consent; I can’t imagine the horrible decisions that would be made if he had the job of planting, pruning, trimming, or designing my pretty little lawn!

Make customers, not sales— and include them in the process or risk losing everything.

~:Taking care of business really means understanding people. Lola has worked in areas of Customer Service for nearly a decade, including CSR Training Coordinator at a major dot com. Her articles will show how every moment can be an opportunity to provide better service to the people around you:~

Anyone familiar with the book of Proverbs knows that it has a lot to say about the everyday issues of life, including things said about the poor. In Proverbs 14:31 of the Bible, we find that anyone who oppresses the poor shows contempt for God their Maker. Certainly, only someone truly cold hearted would systematically oppress them.

The problem with the poor being oppressed has been with us since the beginning of time. The only difference now is that those who are on the leading edge of this oppression can recruit the help of unsuspecting participants who do not realize they are helping in an evil scheme. They may even refuse to believe it if they are told because no decent person would want to do that.

Suppose this were actually happening. What if millions of people were unintentionally participating in something that could undermine our economic system? What if it was taking advantage of poor people while driving even more people to poverty in its wake? Chances are, anyone who tried to sound an alarm would be considered a paranoid extremist.

Allow me to illustrate the world’s wisdom, the exact opposite of God’s wisdom, with something I learned in a marketing class. I strongly disagree with this, but it is what I was taught. In marketing, you seek to identify trends. That’s good, I agree with that. You don’t cast moral judgement on trends, don’t try to sort out right from wrong, just sell, sell, sell. It may not have been put in those exact terms, but that was the gist of it. I choose God’s wisdom and disagree, but folly is a driving force in modern marketing.

For this reason, we have an abundance of predatory lenders. They set people up to fail and specifically target the poor. But that’s supposedly OK, because the people they are taking advantage of want instant gratification and easy money. They are filling a need in the market by giving people what they want without regard for whether they can really afford it or not.

If I told you right now that I am a marketing guy, that might surprise you with what I just said about the industry. Marketing is not the problem. Marketing without morality is the problem. Corporate greed and scandals have had significant news coverage in recent years, but the world system is too blind to actually learn anything from it.

One thing all con artists have in common is they have learned to play up on natural human desires and use them to their advantage. Unfortunately, marketing has sometimes become more of a con game which is bad for the industry, but also bad for the market itself.

Our generation has witnessed the rise of mega retailers. Some are good, some bad, and at least one started out as a discount store with a noble purpose. Somewhere along the way, many became power hungry. Their clout and tactics propelled them to the top of what has become a dung heap. This is not an attack on size or success. There is nothing wrong with being big and successful.

The problem is some have taken a leadership role to oppress the poor and systematically destroy many other businesses. It goes beyond a healthy competitive spirit, they conduct themselves as a playground bully, and they have led others to believe this is the way to succeed. This compounds the problem as they lead by a bad example.

Should this surprise people with spiritual insight? Absolutely not! The sad thing is that good people are being taken in because the marketing plays up on natural human desires. Even those who can see what’s going on sometimes participate as if their little contribution won’t make much difference. If hundreds of thousands of people have that attitude, it makes a huge difference.

This marketing trend has spawned both critics and defenders. I have kept an open mind for the defense, but as I review the case, defenders appear isolated from the working class as they sit well fed and well paid, making their defense for Goliath while they have no idea how the victims feel.

Some of the defenders are very educated, but education does not provide intelligence, nor can it provide morals. I’m not against an education, I have one, but common sense can go even further. Understanding the Bible is the best way to discern everything in life.

With plain common sense, here’s what I see happening.

Major Goliath retailer keeps expanding into more communities. Consumers with their insatiable appetite for low prices shop for the best deal regardless of how it is provided. Major Goliath retailer employs mostly part time help. Benefits eat up so much of the pathetic pay being offered that very few workers can afford it, but at least Goliath can say they offer benefits. Goliath claims that their average pay is not so bad, ignoring the fact that the numbers are easily skewed with creative math. The number of workers employed by Goliath who are drawing public assistance due to the pathetic wages is seldom discussed.

Defenders would say that these people might be totally dependent on public assistance if Goliath did not come to the rescue and hire them. Every time Goliath hires, many people line up to get the work. How can that be bad?

Critics would point out that this is because Goliath either drove their former employers out of business or forced them to let workers go. Now, low paid work is better than no pay at all. Former employers could not compete with Goliath because they did not have the buying power, nor could they compete while trying to provide better pay and benefits for their workers.

Oh, but maybe that’s just retail. It’s low end work anyway, right? If Goliath puts smaller retailers out of business, it’s just a sign of the times and we should embrace it because it’s good for the consumer. Maybe it’s too bad for that small family chain of 10 stores that grandpa worked hard to build into the community over three generations, but that’s just business. It is considered acceptable collateral damage for progress.

Unfortunately, Goliath doesn’t stop there. Drunk with power, Goliath begins leaning more and more heavily on his suppliers, forcing them to make cuts to provide products cheaper and cheaper. The cheaper Goliath can get it, the higher his profits soar. Goliath gets more powerful as his suppliers, and the workers for those suppliers, pay the price. Eventually, domestic suppliers can no longer satisfy Goliath’s appetite, so he buys from overseas slave labor markets.

Now Goliath has accomplished more than just cleaning up the retail competition. He has caused job losses in many industries that supply consumer products. Even where jobs have not been lost, the quality of pay and benefits has suffered and continues to go downhill. Instead of Goliath paying decent wages and benefits, the taxpayer gets to pick up the ever increasing burden. But at least we are paying less at the store so the defenders can pretend this is good for the consumer.

Is Goliath solely responsible for this trend? No he is not. But with the leadership role he has taken, his responsibility is more than a little significant. The consumer is equally responsible, but that is a hard pill to swallow because no one likes to admit responsibility. In defense of the consumer, they were easily mislead by Goliath’s greed and lack of restraint.

So there you have it folks. Through the example that has been set, you now know how to oppress the working class and create more poor using a proven business model. As an added bonus, you can even get the consumers to play along.

There is a positive side to all this. I firmly believe this story can still have a happy ending. Small business startups are on the rise and more organizations are forming to give them a voice. The Internet is changing the face of business and making it possible for anyone to succeed. Goliath has weaknesses, and creative people are finding the cracks in his armor.

If you adapt to the market changes and don’t try to compete with Goliath, you can and will prosper without violating any of God’s laws. In fact, God is your best advocate. Never underestimate what you can do with a few stones and a slingshot.

Steve Chittenden seeks to help business owners and organizations market themselves effectively and succeed. His company, Creative Business Services, provides carefully planned web design, graphic design, writing, and marketing services aimed at achieving this goal. Please visit here for more information.

Article Source

Tags: marketing, ethics, ethical, competition, compete

If you want to sell a product successfully you have to use powerful words to describe it and to convey each and every little benefit it has to offer your customer. As a result, it’s not uncommon to see and hear words like “unbelievable”� and “phenomenal”� in advertising.

There are some marketers, however, who intentionally use hyped-up descriptions to sell their products. These marketers mislead customers into thinking that their products offer benefits that they really do not.

Beware of individuals or promotions that promise you “everything you have ever wanted”� just by purchasing an e-book and executing whatever is inside. Anyone can stand in front of a Mercedez Benz, luxurious mansion or yacht and self-promote. It doesn’t mean they own them.

The sad but very real fact is that there are many scam artists online, waiting to steal your hard-earned dollars. So beware. Use common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

If you are thinking of making a purchase on the Internet, do a basic check-up on the merchant website FIRST. If you have even the slightest question about any of the features of the product mentioned, email the merchant, ask your questions, and observe the attitude with which he/she replies. The way a company handles Customer Support reveals a lot about the integrity of that business. Visit this site to read more about this topic.

Article Source

Tags: ethical, marketing, sales, articles, code

We live in a society where almost everything we touch has been altered, transformed, malformed or mutated. How long will we continue to accept a manufacturers claim that their product is environmentally safe, simply because they are willing to twist the truth? Most products that are being marketed as “Green”, are still synthetic (man-made). For quite a long time, we have accepted the fact that man-made products are often cheaper than natural products. It is a fact that all-leather shoes will cost you more than those made from man-made materials. We also know which one is the better product, but our cash only goes so far, so we settle for synthetics. No big problem, just an effect of economics. The recent problem we are having is that claims are being made about synthetic products that surpass the true meaning of Green, Organic, or Eco-Friendly. Marketers are going out of the bounds of ethics and human reason, to make their product stand out as; “The best Green product that you simply must buy, if you care about our planet”. The following paragraphs explain my objections to this recent trend and why I consider it unethical.

I was browsing online the other day, looking at various rug pads to see what is available. Most rug pads on the market are made from synthetic materials and the synthetic variety has caused problems for many people. I was searching to make certain that all-felt rug pads were still available as these are the safest type to use on top of most flooring. Synthetic rug pads will usually damage flooring such as vinyl, hard-wood, non-glazed ceramic tile and even laminate, if left in one place for too long. In an effort to make rug pads non-slip many rug pads are made from synthetic materials such as polyurethane, which is the same material used to finish hard-wood floors. This often would result in the rug pad making a molecular bond to the hard-wood surface, which meant scraping and re-finishing the floor. Now we see synthetic cushions that are just as bad. Rug pads of other synthetic materials will cause yellowing or sub-surface moisture problems. Usually poly-blends with a scrim (thin coating) on one side that is supposed to provide protection for the rug or the floor. But if the scrim is also synthetic what have we gained? I have always suggested an all-felt pad to my clients, as this is the type that will do the least damage (if any). Now those are becoming a rare item to find. Many of the felt pads available today are a blend of synthetics. If you must use a rug pad, use one that the ability to “breathe” (allow moisture and gases to pass through them).

I said all that to get to this. As I browsed the rug cushions that were available, I came across some that were being touted as “organic”, or as having a “low carbon footprint”. The reason for their claim that it is an organic product is that the scrim (thin protective coating) is made from a vegetable oil base. The rest of the cushion is made from the same materials as before (a synthetic, poly-blend), only the thin scrim coating is advertised as organic. While this is definitely a tiny step in the right direction, it is still a man-made, synthetic product. Just because a product is made from vegetable oils bases, and not petroleum bases, does not negate the fact that it is still synthetic. As far as the carbon footprint is concerned, well, most all things earthly (especially living things) are carbon based, how can you lower that footprint. Here is the dictionary definition of Organic:

or-gan-ic or-”ga-nik adj 1 : of, relating to, or arising in a bodily organ 2 : of, relating to, or derived from living things 3 : of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds 4 : of or relating to a branch of chemistry dealing with carbon compounds 5 : involving, producing, or dealing in foods produced without the use of laboratory-made fertilizers, growth substances, antibiotics, or pesticides (c)2000 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved

The only way I can see to get away with calling it Organic is related to the second part of the definition. That a portion of the product is derived from living things. If that is the basis for the claim, then we could argue that even crude oil is Organic, since it was derived from once living things.

The Flooring industry, and many other industries are taking advantage of a public perception of “Green” (eco-friendly, environmentally- friendly, etc…). In my opinion, for something to be entirely Green, it must still exist in it’s natural state, not having been chemically altered. Perhaps I am too literal with my perception, but I would never be able to sleep at night if I took advantage of people’s perception in this manner. In reference to the rug pad, and how it is being marketed… In my mind, it would be a similar circumstance to take a toy soldier made of lead, glue a leaf to it and give it to one of my grand-children to play with saying that it has been rendered safe now; because “I made it become Organic by covering it with a leaf”.

I am really trying not to be hard-headed about this, but I think that the terminology of marketing and advertising something as “Green” has really taken a turn for the worse. If it is not illegal, then it must simply be unethical. Yet we hold the responsibility when we allow ourselves to be deluded by such false pretenses. As consumers, we must demand to be treated intelligently and morally. Ecology is becoming an increasingly “gray” area. Our buying power will determine what will be acceptable when referring to “Green”.

Article By: Charles Beason
Charles is a Flooring Consultant in the High Desert of Southern California.
Visit his website here

This article is copyright (c) 2008 by Charles Beason, and may be reprinted in it’s entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement is included.

Article Source

Tags: business, ethics, sales, marketing, environment

Are you continuing to say “Yes” to the kind of business you want to be, and the kind of service you want to give?

Most importantly are your customers and the people you want to become customers the sort of people you want to be with?

The more you market your business to the right prospects, and hang out with the right customers, the more your business will be fulfilling. The more clearly you express what is important for you in your marketing, the more likely you are to get the right customers.

By getting clear on your values you will know:

* The kind of work that you enjoy and perform well
* The kind of customers you prefer
* How you like to treat your customers
* How you like to be treated
* The satisfaction of knowing the difference your business can make

Who is right for you

Business is never just about the money. There are far too many potential customers out there is the wide world. You can’t work with them all. Better by far to have an excellent reputation with the right ones.

If your marketing clearly expresses what is important to you, and what the right customers can gain from working with you, you make it easier for them to find you. Expressing your values in the world, and making a difference one customer at a time makes it all more enjoyable and – best of all – gives you a competitive edge.

Who is wrong for you

Some of the people who want to work with you may simply be wrong for you. You could take their money but it may not feel right.

Next time you hear that small voice telling you that a customer is not right for you, stop and listen. After all, you probably know a lot of people in your field, and the customer who is wrong for you may be perfect for one of your competitors.

Don’t leave yourself out of your business. Be yourself. No one else can do it, so make the most of it – it’s what makes you special!

Jean Wolfe has created an easy-to-follow 30 day e-course “Spark into marketing! Stop and Think” which helps small business owners get clearer about their business and personal values so they can enjoy marketing. See this site

Article Source

Tags: ethics, confidentiality, business, customer, marketing

I was in Sri Lanka in October 2004 (still blissfully unaware of the devastation that the country was to suffer a month later). One thing that struck me about the Sri Lankans was their ability to sell you exactly what you want at a price you’re happy to pay. A classic example of this occurred one day in a gem store (of which there are a vast number in Sri Lanka).

My wife, Anne and my daughter, Jo were doing a tour of the gem stores. As beautiful as the stones were, I had reached overload but Anne and Jo had insatiable appetites for ‘bling’. While they were oohing and ahhing, I took a seat and relaxed. I noticed that the salesman behind the counter was watching a middle-aged couple intently as they browsed around. It seemed clear to me that they were just browsing with no intention of making a purchase and I wondered if he had seen something in their body language that I had missed.

As they were about to leave the store without having bought anything, he said: “Excuse me Madam” addressing the woman specifically “I notice you love sapphires as much as I do. Can I show you something?”

“Oh, no thank you,” she said, “We were just looking”

“Of course. No. This is not for sale. It’s an exhibition piece but I love sapphires too. You must see this before you go” and he produced the biggest and most exquisite sapphire I had ever seen. The effect was as if he had hooked her with a fishing line and reeled her over to the counter with her husband in tow. I hadn’t noticed she was paying particular attention to sapphires but he had. He talked enthusiastically about sapphires as she nodded in complete agreement. Here was a man who understood the beauty of what was surely the most spectacular of all gems. They were on safe ground. This gem was clearly way beyond the means of all but the very rich. He wasn’t selling but sharing a mutual passion.

He dropped into the conversation that they had a number of extremely expensive sapphires that they couldn’t put on display for security reasons. Would she like to see them? You bet she would! He produced a tray that brought a gasp from her bosom. The most expensive gem on the tray was £10,000. She was in ecstasy. There were a number of smaller gems on the tray, some of which had been mounted onto rings. She admired each gem in turn until she came to one that looked as if it might possibly be withing their price range. “How much is this?” she asked but her husband was already shaking his head to remind her that they were looking, not buying. The salesman had spotted the husband’s gesture. “Oh that one is very expensive, I’m afraid. It’s because of the cut of the gem. I couldn’t let that go for less than £500″

She looked at her husband “Could we…?”

“No we can’t,” he insisted, “I told you – we’re looking, not buying “

The salesman looked sympathetically at her and said: “I’m so sorry, Madam” and was about to put the tray back when he seemed to have an idea. “Wait a minute” he said and produced a form. “We can sell to dealers at considerable discounts but only to dealers, you understand.”

“Oh, we’re tourists, not…” the man began but the salesman brought his finger to his lips and politely shushed him. “If you were to tell me you were dealers, I would be happy to take your word for it. We don’t always ask for evidence.”

“Oh, I see” the man said, getting the hint but still a little wary.

“Are you a dealer?” the salesman asked. The man’s wife was nodding vigorously, urging him to say yes.

“How much discount?” the man asked.

The salesman lowered his voice “I could let you have it for £350″

“Oh Steve!” his wife hissed excitedly. There was no way he could say no and stay on good terms with her for the rest of their holiday. He filled in the form and handed over his credit card.

Were they conned? No. Manipulated? Certainly. Misled? A little, but certainly not conned.

Although it is unlikely that the ring had ever had the £500 price tag, the salesman never expected to sell it at that price. He knew the answer would have been no even if he’d initially quoted £350 because her husband was clearly adamant that they were looking, not buying. However, judging by similar rings on display, it was certainly worth the £350 they paid for it. What the salesman did was pitch it just beyond their price range and then appear to go out on a limb to bring it just within their price range. This made it irresistible. It also rewarded the man’s ego. He could tell the folks back home that he told them he was a dealer and got them to knock £150 off the price, earning him a little kudos. He had also been able to impress the salesman by buying a ring that the salesman had clearly assumed to be beyond their means (“Oh that one is very expensive, I’m afraid…” ). He had made the man feel wealthy and powerful. The man was happy. The wife had the ring she wanted at a fair price and the salesman made a sale that was about to walk out the door. Everyone was happy and no one was ripped off.

The salesman had watched her and made a note of what pressed her buttons. He had also correctly estimated what they could afford to spend, perhaps by their dress or by their manner. He then lured her with the prospect of seeing sapphires she would be unlikely to see on display and fed her passion for them by expressing his own. Although the ring was no more beautiful than the rings on display she had already seen, it had become infused by the beauty of the gems that were way beyond their reach. He didn’t make her want it. He didn’t need to. The desire was already there but tethered by the knowledge that they were looking, not buying. He simply untethered her desire by feasting her eyes on unattainable gems before bringing one almost to within their reach. Then, when she had dared to hope that it might be within their reach and experienced the disappointment, he brought it actually within their reach. He had created a situation in which the husband could not say no and she couldn’t go home without it.

Despite the manipulation and the misleading initial quote – and, of course, the whole cock-and-bull story about dealers discounts, the salesman had essentially done nothing morally wrong. Quite the contrary. He had liberated them and he had empowered them. Their holiday budget might be £350 lighter but they would have no reason to regret the purchase. He had provided a rare and enriching experience that few get the opportunity to enjoy. How many of us have ever held a £10,000 sapphire in our hand? He had given them exactly what they wanted at a fair price that they were happy to pay. He had given them a moment they would cherish forever.

I was once told by a salesman that “Anybody can sell the people what they want. The trick is to sell ‘em what you’ve got.” This is not only a pretty shabby approach but it doesn’t hold true. We often see something we want that wouldn’t break the bank to buy but still we walk past because we don’t feel free to spend that much on ourselves. We feel it would be irresponsible. Heck! It’s our money! If we can’t afford it, we can’t buy it but, if it’s within our means then we do ourselves a disservice by denying ourselves what we want just because we feel it’s too indulgent. We do this all the time. This salesman liberated his customers from the constraints of their self-denial.

Fortunately, he didn’t pull the same stunt on my wife and daughter. I guess I must have looked every inch of the £25 I had in my pocket.

Article Source

Ron Tocknell – EzineArticles Expert Author

Tags: marketing, ethics, manipulating, unethical, strategy

You can be the most intelligent and learned person in the world, but without wisdom you do foolish things.

What do I mean by that? Think of all the scandals or mistakes involving important persons that have taken place throughout the world at various times. Think of the Watergate Scandal, Enron collapse, child abuse, failed marriages, bankruptcies, misappropriation of funds, corruption…

When these events take place and it involves high profile persons, one begins to wonder what on earth makes them do such things. Clearly, it is not because they are not aware of such consequences. And it would not be their lack of intelligence. Almost all the time, these people are excellent in their field of endeavor – to the public.

To the public, these people are exemplary and many of them have become role models for the younger generations or even to their colleagues.

Why then do they make such foolish mistakes?

Was it greed, overconfidence, abuse of power, selfishness? It’s a strange thing though. When a wrong action has not been brought to the public’s eyes and still within closed doors, nobody dares to comment on it. We have a way to tone down the words to make it sound right. Thus greed will be described as ambitious, go-getter, successful, achiever, top scorer, best performer…

Nobody bothers how it will affect the other person. Everybody minds their own business. Everybody has to toe the line – even when something is not right.

“”When I speak, everybody listens!”" “”If you don’t listen, or dares to reason out with me, you are against me, you are fired!”" These are the favorite words of leaders who have become too powerful for their own good.

One thing stands out very clearly. No matter how powerful a person has become to the eyes of the world, there is still some invisible force(s) that is even more powerful than they are, that they cannot control. Something that can control their actions to make them do foolish actions.

It’s called human weakness. It’s a very real characteristic of our human condition. This weakness cannot be overcome by studying in the universities, colleges, scientific research laboratories or any other places you can think of. It’s ever present as our inheritance when we were born into the world.

People who have become powerful are prone to forget about this, after all, they are more powerful than most people and they can do almost anything, and get away with it. They have become proud and their hearts are hardened so that they cannot accept advices anymore. “”Nobody can touch me, so why bother to listen?”"

Do you agree that there is something even more powerful that can guide us to do the right things rather than to do things right? Do you notice that children can sometimes be wiser than adults? The ability to see the truth is a God given gift.

Acknowledging that humans are prone to make mistakes could be the first step to becoming humble. And to become humble is to find wisdom. How can one become proud when one realizes that one is just a tiny drop of water in the vast ocean of the infinite universe?

The leaders of the world need to discover this thing called humbleness. Then only can they avoid making foolish mistakes.

Thomas Yoon specializes in cartoon illustrations that will make an impact on people’s opinions. Subscribe to engineering facworld ezine. More information on engineering at Marine and M & E Engineer.

Article Source

There is a marketing industry term called ‘Generated Impressions”, this term refers to company’s products and services being constantly visible through media images and slogans. These product’s images literally appear everywhere, millions of times per minute worldwide. When a company like Coca Cola spends a million dollars to purchase a commercial spot during the Super Bowl, it is not so that individual immediately will run to the store and purchase Coke, it is to make sure that Coca Cola stays on Top of Mind of all it’s potential customers.

Everyday the average person is bombarded with millions of product images via television, print media, billboards and every imaginable vehicle for transmitting these images. The images portray everything from consumer products to plastic surgery, from investment schemes to borrowing money.

As if all those images are not enough, then there are all the generated impressions of every imaginable behavior pattern known to man. The American Psychological Association estimates that the typical child watches 27 hours of television a week and witnesses 8,000 TV murders and 100,000 acts of violence by the age of twelve. Is it any wonder that we are overwhelmed with a sea of emotional challenges with our youth.

Guess what, generated impressions really get a result; now you may be starting to realize why companies spend billions of dollars on Generated Impressions. It is a never ending constant reminder of what to eat, wear, drink, drive and what to do for entertainment. And while all this is going on there are also millions of impressions being generated portraying negative behavior that stretches from lack of ethics and integrity to out right criminal behavior. In other words we have developed a culture of situational ethics, morals and integrity as a result of “Generated Impressions”, anything goes as long as we get our desired result.

Now here is the interesting question, when is the last time you have seen any generated impressions that represent values, ethics, morals, honesty and strength of character. It would be like if the front page headline of USA today read, There is Nothing More Important than Your Character, or a NASCAR car having a decal that read ” Integrity is Everything” or Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) wearing an embroidered shirt on stage that read “Live with Honesty”. Maybe this sounds too altruistic to think these examples would actually cause a shift in awareness, maybe this is so simple that you did not notice exactly why you drink Coke or eat at McDonald’s and drive a Honda.

It gets even more interesting when you start to realize that every time you say in front of your children, tell them I’m not here when the phone rings, that you are actually generating an impression that says to your children, it is OK to lie. Or how about when the boss says, tell him I’m in a meeting to avoid a call, and then finds out that his employees are stealing his funds as a result of his generated impression that reinforces ethics are optional. Or maybe it takes a government official that decides that extra marital affairs are an entitlement of their position and generates an impression that Trust is not important.

Now maybe you are crystal clear that “Generated Impressions” are subtle and extremely powerful, and influence everything from fuel prices, addictive behavior, health, blue & white collar crime, school crime and the divorce rate.

The general appearance is that we have created a society where honesty, ethics, morals, integrity and character are optional.

So, what impressions will you generate today? Do you choose to be part of the problem?, or the solution.

Gary King is an international speaker and writer. Gary’s current projects include, The 24 Hour Truth Challenge®, Pay Truth Forward™ and Honesty Rocks™, The Sacred Key™. He is currently working on several books and was published in different magazines including the January 2006,”Oprah Magazine”. He fervently works with schools and prisons and corporate businesses to spread the message of truth and integrity. He is available for guest lectures and you can reach him at his website for details.

Article Source

Tags: ethics, corporate, business, code, marketing

When a Network Marketer makes unethical choices, they do so for one of three reasons:

1. Unfortunately the Typical Network Marketer Does What’s Most Convenient An ethical dilemma can be defined as an undesirable or unpleasant choice relating to a moral principle or practice. As human beings, we seem prone to failing personal ethics tests. Why do we do something even when we know it’s wrong? Do we cheat because we think we won’t get caught? Do we give ourselves permission to cut corners because we rationalize that it’s just one more time? Is this our way of dealing with pressure?
2. Network Marketers Will Do What They Feel They Must to Seek Victory I think most people are like me: I hate losing. Business people in particular desire to win through achievement and success. But many think they have to choose between being ethical and winning. Many people believe that embracing ethics would limit their options, their opportunities, and their very ability to succeed in business. It’s the old suspicion that good guys finish last. If I believe that I have only two choices – to win by doing whatever it takes, even if it’s unethical or to have ethics and lose – I’m faced with a real moral dilemma. Few people set out with the desire to be dishonest, but nobody wants to lose.
3. A Network Marketer Will Rationalize their Choices with Relativism Many people choose to deal with such no-win situations by deciding what’s right in the moment, according to their circumstances.

According to Dr. Joseph Fletcher in his book, Situation Ethics, “right is determined by the situation, and love can justify anything – lying, cheating, and stealing … even murder. This philosophy spread rapidly throughout the theological and educational worlds … Since the 1960s, situation ethics has become the norm for social behavior. After spreading so rapidly through the world’s education, religion, and government, it has penetrated a new area – the business world. The result is our ethical situation today.

The industry of network marketing unfortunately has not been spared the spread of “situation ethics.”

The result is ethical chaos. Everyone has his own standards, which change from situation to situation.

It is interesting to note that though our decisions at one time were based on ethics, now our ethics are based on our decisions. If it’s good for me, then it’s good. Where is this trend likely to end?

Let’s take a look at what would happen if we applied this trend to network marketing:

1. What if a Network Marketer didn’t always do what was most convenient? What if we decided, as network marketers, to just handle every situation based on what was convenient to us? Not over a short period of time, but over a long period of time. What do you think would happen to our relationships with our downline, as well as our upline? Total disaster.
2. What if a Network Marketer didn’t feel that they must do whatever to seek victory? As network marketers, our entire business relies on the relationships we have with the people within our business. As business owners, if we try to “win” each and every transaction or interaction with the people in our business, over time those relationships will die off. The only way to ensure that both your business and your relationships with the people in your business grow is to seek a win-win scenario for each transaction and/or interaction.
3. What if a Network Marketer didn’t choose to deal with a no-win situation by deciding what was right in the moment, or according to their circumstances? What if they had a system to guide them? As a network marketer, or even a human being for that matter, waiting until the last moment to decide how to handle a situation without a proper moral compass will end in disaster sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, there is an increasing desire for ethical dealing in business, and as far as I can see, this desire reaches the very summit of the network marketing industry.

My next article entitled “Is the Global Market Altering it’s Ethical Behavior?” will examine this position.

See you on the Beaches of the World,

Kevin McNabb

Kevin McNabb is the author of The Responsible Network Marketer Series. Chief Executive Officer of Toronto-based. He is a network marketer, author, freelance writer, and offers seminars, and Internet training programs on personal development for the network marketing industry. For more information on the topic of this article, please see at Here

Article Source

Tags: unethical, network, marketing, online, business

Most people do not easily accept the new, mostly because of the unknown factor that people tend to call fear. It is not only as Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky had put it that “”taking a new step, uttering a new world is what people fear most.”" Even in slight things the experience of the new is rarely without some stirring of foreboding. In the case of drastic change, like the one information technology has currently imposed on the distribution systems inside every market discussed earlier, the uneasiness is deeper and more lasting. No man is really prepared for that which is wholly new. Everyone has to adjust and every radical adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem. By undergoing through a change people have to prove themselves right. It needs inordinate self-confidence to face drastic change without inner trembling.

In present times, global population is subject to drastic change and has evolved to a population of misfits, unbalanced, explosive and hungry for action. Through action mankind can regain confidence and control, can prove its worth, while at the same time it is actually a reaction against the lost balance. Thus, drastic change is one of the agencies that release a man’s energies, but certain conditions have to be present if the shock of change is to turn people into effective men of action. There must be the abundance of opportunities, and there must be a tradition of self-reliance. This era of technological advancements is probably the most challenging one. The conditions that prevail today, from the film distribution industry to the ability of people to shop online from Italy while living in Brazil, have created a population subjected to drastic change that it is only a matter of correct timing before plunging into an orgy of action. The issue now is the sacrifices one has to endure in either case. Becoming active and consciously getting involved in any type of action, within any kind of market, the civilized individual has to select a position regarding his/her role in the overall process and sacrifice blissfulness that usually comes from states of ignorance, or apathy.

As Sigmund Freud had written in his book ‘Civilization and its Discontents,’ civilization imposes such great sacrifices on a man’s aggressiveness that we can understand better why it is hard for him to be happy in that civilization. According to Freud, the civilized man has exchanged a portion of his possibilities of happiness for a portion of security. Although Freud did not discussed the outcomes of distribution and the severe interference of markets to the circulation process, he successfully conveyed that the stages through which a person undergoes before beginning to feel happy entail usually a scary process of unknown outcomes and difficult to comprehend practices. By trying to avoid the unknown consequences of any major change, people prefer to remain in their constant place with or without any control of their destiny, but holding on to the feeling of security in their familiar environment.

But through network connections and progressive learning practices, this practice has already changed. Future generations will be better equipped to judge the present choices vested upon us. The only thing present generations can do before accepting any change offered, is study and research the reasons behind the negative reactions people tend to have when any kind of distribution advancement is introduced to ease their usual routine. It is always an issue of control and respect of choice.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Business, Alternative Health, and Jewelry

Article Source

Corporate social responsibility is a company’s duty to have a positive effect on society, the environment and its own employees. It has risen in importance as world issues have come to the fore – for example, child labour making clothes for western shops is quite rightly not allowed – companies have a duty to make sure that all their employees, no matter where they are in the world, are not exploited. If a company uses someone else’s land for its operations (again this is usually in a poorer country) they should provide schemes for native inhabitants such as schools, healthcare and employment opportunities. Companies are now judged by the general public based on their policies so it’s never been more important to be socially responsible.

Social responsibility is a difficult thing to pin down however, and it’s often unclear what the effects will be. Providing a school for the children of workers abroad for example might be great for the workers, but customers who buy the company’s products may never even know that school exists. This responsible scheme then has no knock-on effect on the company’s image. Similarly, making sure that the company abides by international laws is socially responsible, but no-one ever hears about anything like this unless the company breaks a law (in which case it’s all over the news).

Social responsibility is only good for the company if people know about it, so many companies try to publicise their good work or get something back out of it. For example, sponsoring scholarships for poorer students is a generous act, but those students might have access to fast-track schemes within the company when they finish their education. Sponsoring a charity event for a local hospital can be publicised in the news and helps to show customers that the company does a lot in the community.

When a company’s social actions pay off, they manage to present themselves as a caring brand and this can spell good times for the business. More people want to work for them and consumers recognise their brand as someone it’s ok to buy from.

It’s important for corporations to look after existing employees too, as this is also part of their social responsibility. Childcare schemes, extended leave options and even gym memberships all come under this umbrella. When a company offers benefits to its employees therefore it’s being socially responsible. It’s a business tenet that the more benefits a company offers the more likely staff are to stay with the company, and the more people will apply for available jobs.

Because of all these positive effects, companies have to look at social responsibility as an essential part of their PR and not just an expenditure. Some companies don’t participate in schemes unless they’re going to get some sort of positive PR out of it and whilst this does make economic sense it also comes across as a little cynical. Other companies do good just for the sake of it, but also make sure that they get something back most of the time. Whatever path a company takes, social responsibility is inescapable no matter the economic climate. In fact, it becomes more important as people start to struggle financially and the company that looks after its employees and dependents in bad times will have a head start in the good.

Bert Steiner has manufactured everything from worktops to plastic products He has owned a few small companies and likes to write about the issues faced by company managers.

Article Source

Tags: ethics, marketing, strategic, management, corporate

“There are various reasons why many people are skeptical about taking prescribed medications. Some believe that there are just too many chemicals in them and would prefer a more natural approach. Others feel that prescribed drugs are being used too freely. What many people have not considered though is the fact that they may be being deceived regarding the quality of the prescribed medications.

We all assume that medical research is documented and properly researched at least when it comes to inventing new drugs and treatments. After all, we have strict government regulations in place to ensure our safety. It appears that we may not be as protected as we may assume.

It has been found that a particular pharmaceutical company has been using employees to ghostwrite research material and then having the appropriate medical personnel attach their names to it thus making it appear as valid research information. Yikes! What makes it even more disturbing is that it doesn’t seem to be an isolated incident. Apparently, there are numerous claims that ghostwriting medical research is a common practice within the pharmaceutical industry.

Not only can this practice be viewed as alarming and dangerous but using another’s research is also unethical. Coming to basic facts, it is downright scary because it involves public health and safety. So far, little news press has been given to the potentially grave consequences of these practices, but the US Food and Drug Administration are now in the process of determining whether to allow the circulation of peer-reviewed journal articles to be used as guides. While in the past physicians have used these articles to determine drugs of choice for a particular patient, the FDA will look into the efficacy and safety of this practice to decide its future worth.

What needs to be taken into consideration is how much attention does the professional signing this research really give to its content? He or she could be recommending a medication that will reach the people at large and could prove not only mildly detrimental but also downright dangerous. After all, professionals are needed in medical and pharmaceutical research to prevent such an eventuality.

If their research means so little, then why not dispense with it and let the ghostwriters do the research and clear the drug for open market? All of the current indicators are pointing in this direction right now. No claims can or should be made that this is happening in every pharmaceutical company as they each have individual moral and ethical standards. We the public can only hope that the companies making such prescribed drugs fall into the “good moral” category.

One good aspect is that at least this deception is being brought to light. Other pharmaceutical companies that are walking a fine line on this issue may think twice about the consequences of their actions. For all of our sakes let’s hope that they do.

Want more news on Pharmaceutical Ethics? Have a comment or question you’d like to share? Come join others at Boomer Yearbook for simple and effective coaching tips and strategies.

http://www.Boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit

Article source

Tags: pharmaceutical, ethics, clinical, biotech, marketing

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ “Report To The Nation On Occupational Fraud And Abuse” (Report), “participants in the study estimate U.S. organizations lose 5% of their annual revenues to fraud. Applied to the estimated 2006 United States Gross Domestic Product, this 5% figure would translate to approximately $652 billion in fraud losses.” Of course these organizations must pass on this cost to consumers. This translates into each of us paying approximately 5% extra for fraud when we purchase a good or service. If the average household spends $40,000 for goods and services each year, their annual cost of fraud is $2,000.

Part of stopping occupation fraud is understanding it. The Report defines occupational fraud as, “The use of one’s occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misappropriation of the employing organization’s resources or assets.” We all know that people steal from their employers, even in very small amounts. Most of us at some time in our lives have taken home a few pencils, pads of paper, or perhaps some of the product sold by our employer. We also have heard about overstating of expense reports or the number of hours worked. These types of small frauds happen every day and cost us all billions of dollars each year. The Report breaks occupational fraud into three categories: asset misappropriation, corruption and fraudulent statements.

Asset misappropriation is the type of fraud we are most familiar with and includes the ones listed above. It is the largest type of occupational fraud in number, but not total amount. Corruption includes frauds such as bribery or conflicts of interest. Fraudulent statements generally include frauds relating to the organization’s accounting system and financial statements and are the largest type of occupational fraud by amount. Recent examples of fraudulent statements are Enron, Health South, World Com and other sensational frauds, which have been well publicized.

Occupational frauds are very hard to detect and most of them go undetected. According to the Report, the main detection tools are tips, accident, internal audit, external audit and notification by police. The Report points out that tips though anonymous hotlines is the most effective way of detecting occupational frauds. This means you are the one we count on to detect these frauds. When you are suspicious that a fraud may be happening in your workplace, do something about it. If your employer has a hotline, use it. If not, you can still provide an anonymous tip. Type out your suspicions and give it to a manager, who you do not believe is involved. You can mail it, put it in his in-box or use some other method, which will not identify you as the tipster.

What can you do to stop these frauds? Make sure you don’t commit them. This means the next time you need a few pencils at home, don’t take them from the office. You can buy them at the store and feel good about it when you do. This type of thinking, “I’m not hurting anyone”, only leads to encouraging others to do the same or it lets you rationalize that taking something more expensive is ok. You did not get caught taking the pencils, so take something more expensive next time. Secondly, when you are suspicious that a fraud may be happening, use the hotline. You don’t have to be sure. Someone skilled in investigating fraud will investigate and you won’t get your fellow employee in trouble, unless they deserve it. Thirdly, learn more about this type of fraud so you will know it when you see it. You are the main defense against occupational fraud.

Mr. Cuthill’s practice is limited to court-appointed positions in large fraud cases. His work has produced the return of millions of dollars of investors’ funds. For more information about him, click here.

Article Source

Tags: unethical, marketing, business, behaviour, professional

If two parties are on opposite sides of a contract and they want to reach a win-win resolution, that means that they must observe the Golden Rule during negotiations. Specifically, both parties must treat each other fairly and be completely honest. They also need to communicate openly and not withhold relevant information. There should be full disclosure of any facts relevant to the transaction.

Respect is one of the most important elements of treating people well. Both parties must respect each other’s time, needs, finances, family situation, and any other circumstance that may affect the negotiations. As part of showing respect, each party should treat the other party professionally and conduct themselves professionally. There should never be anger or raised voices.

Both parties should be committed to a resolution that will be agreeable to both of them. Neither party should ever look for ways to take advantage of the other party. Before the negotiations start, they should both agree to a method of resolving an impasse on an important issue. To avoid the expense and delay of litigation, they should agree to have the issue decided by a mediator. They should also agree to abide by the mediator’s decision.

Both parties should greet other with courtesy, and they should be on time for meetings. They should also abide by any time limits set for the meetings, but agree to schedule a follow-up meeting if they still have issues to resolve. They should keep confident any information that either party wants to keep confident. Once they reach an agreement, they should reduce the agreement with complete accuracy.

At the end of the meeting, they should shake hands and thank the other person for their time and courtesy. The Golden Rule is so simple. It is also appropriate in any situation, even in business.

About the author

Jo Ann Joy, Esq., MBA, CEO
Copyright 2006 Indigo Business Solutions. All rights reserved.
The future of your business starts here.

Jo Ann Joy is the CEO and owner of Indigo Business Solutions, a legal and business consulting firm. Indigo Business Solutions is a “one stop shop” for small businesses. We differ from other business consulting firms, because we offer comprehensive legal and business counseling. We can offer most of the professional services that a business requires. We work with our clients to develop strategies that create value and competitive advantage.

Jo Ann has a law degree, an MBA, and a degree in Economics, but she is not a traditional attorney. Rather, she is a strategic business attorney who works closely with clients to create and implement strategies that will greatly improve their performance and chance of success. Her background includes commercial and real estate law, accounting, financial planning, mortgages, marketing, product development, banking, and business strategies. She ran a successful business for 10 years, and she has written and given presentations on many different legal and business subjects.

Article Source

Tags:ethics, article, business, medical, marketing

Successful relationships are the foundation of all success in life: both professionally and personally. Professionally, effective relationship building skills can mean the difference between triumph and defeat, particularly in a sales and/or service based environment. The importance of building strong, long-term professional relationships by taking the time to effectively “follow-up,” cannot be overstated. Yet many sales specialists such as realtors, pharmaceutical sales representatives and small business or home-based business owners simply fall short in this area, not for lack of trying, but simply because they lack guidance and expertise. Following-up is an art form that once mastered, will be an invaluable element for sales success. As Robert Collier once said, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

The Importance of Follow-Up?

Everyone wants to feel special, valued and remembered. Our frenzied schedules often leave very little time to think about, appreciate or thank anyone in our lives, especially new contacts. However, that’s the essential ingredient to successful relationship building. By taking the time to make someone else feel valued you make yourself stand out in a crowd, helping to build a positive rapport of trust and respect with prospective and existing clients. To paraphrase the principles of the Law of Attraction, whatever you put out into the world is what you will get back in return. Thus going the extra mile, which might only take an extra few minutes a day, to appreciate your clients and/or prospective clients is a must to attaining your goals. Focus on giving instead of getting and remember that relationship building takes time, organization and perseverance but it is well worth it in the end.

ALWAYS Follow-Up With…

It’s always a nice touch to follow-up in both your professional and personal life. However, sometimes it’s hard to follow-up with absolutely everybody. Thus, professionally you’ll want to do so with associates and people you meet at seminars and other events; existing clients i.e. on their birthday; referrals from existing clients (make sure to thank the source of the referral as well); prospects from sales meetings; coworkers who have assisted you in some way; friends; people who may have sent you a compliment or congratulations on a sale/accomplishment, or remembered a special event, anniversary or holiday. Think of how nice it feels for you when you receive a follow-up call, email, note or card. The same is true for everyone else as well.

The Elements of Flawless Follow-Up

Set defined professional goals prior to attending networking/connection events, prospect meetings and collecting business cards. Some people you meet will be good for business leads and referrals, while others might act as mentors and/or coaches in the future. Thus, take the time to have an active conversation with new people to find out more about them and their interests and expertise. When you make a new contact, immediately afterward, make sure to take notes regarding why you want to contact them in the future, note something specific you discussed and how best to follow-up. This will help you stay organized and will allow you to maintain a personal touch in your follow-up. It let’s the other person know that you were actually listening and were genuinely interested in learning more about them.

Stay in on-going contact with your new prospects…in fact think of them as new “friends.” Consistency is key to building a positive rapport. The more of an effort you make to stand out, the more likely that they will remember you, your company and services/products as a resource for their own personal or professional needs down the line.

Most important is the type of follow-up you choose and there are quite a few options. Use the annotations you made after your initial meeting to assist in choosing the appropriate method of follow-up. The following are the tried and true of sensational follow-up:

• Thank you notes: Take the time to show your customers your appreciation. Not only will they feel great, they will also almost certainly refer other clients your way. Poor time management often leads Entrepreneurs to neglect this small but effective touch so if you “follow through” you’re one step ahead of your competitor. Consider opening an account with an online greeting card company that will stuff, stamp and mail for you. This is a fantastic and more cost effective way to track contact information, set scheduled mailings, set reminders all while providing that extra special touch.

• Remember to mark special occasions: Keep a database to track client information (online greeting card companies allow for this and will automatically remind you of your clients/prospects special occasions). Birthdays, anniversaries, baby on the way and the like, are important to your customers, so they should be important to you as well. Remember their special day with a greeting card and they won’t soon forget you!

• Send a thoughtful gift: For an extra special “thank you,” consider sending a well-timed gift. For instance, following a real estate transaction send a personalized greeting card along with a gift card for a home remodeling or design store. Or send a gift basket that includes a restaurant gift card, delivery menus for the area and a free movie rental to welcome new homeowners. Going the extra mile will engender lifelong loyalty. Once again, certain online greeting card companies provide the gift card option right on their website, thereby saving you time yet allowing you to go the extra mile…without actually having to physically “go that extra mile!”

• Send out monthly mailings: Use these pieces to provide interesting, fun and informative information. The goal is to make the recipient smile while simultaneously reminding them that you’re still around. Send postcards, pamphlets, newsletters or greeting cards with useful tips, monthly calendar fridge magnets, client of the moth profiles, contests to win free movie passes, recipes, community events etc…

• E-mail updates: Once a month email your clients to keep them updated on your latest sale, achievement, product/service updates and personal milestones.

• Face time: Try to schedule some one on one time with clients, either over coffee or a quick lunch. Take an actual interest in their lives and they will remain loyal customers.

• Quality assurance: Call your clients to inquire as to the quality of service they received. What worked for them? What, if anything, didn’t and could be improved upon? Most importantly, are they happy overall? Customer satisfaction is job one!

• Set up your own client referral program: Use your client database to generate business for them as well as for yourself. The sincerest form of flattery is a referral. Send business their way and they will do the same. Give to get back…it works!

It’s proven and unequivocal, the essence of establishing long term, profitable business relationships is first-class follow-up. Time and time again, those who are the very embodiment of professional success; people like Jack Welch former CEO of GE and Real Estate Mogul Donald Trump, confirm that they make follow-up a top priority. If you want to turn that new lead or contact into a loyal client, the secret is simple…follow-up is foolproof!

Sources: Realty Tracker Online/LookSmart: Find Articles Online/Business Creator Pro/”Following Up Builds Business
Relationships” by: Kelle Campbell.

Barbara Theodosiou is the founder of Mommy Mentors. Mommy Mentors goal is to encourage and assist every woman to share her inspirations, hopes and dreams with other women throughout the world. We know that by sharing our weaknesses we can build strength, and by sharing our strengths we can become stronger. To learn more visit this site

Article Source

The world of marketing – whether it is marketing in the offline world or marketing online – is more complex than what you might think at first glance. Just as there are ways to effectively market products and services, there is also a right and wrong way to market services and products, from an ethical standpoint.

When most people think in terms of ethical marketing, they know that ethics plays into the sales copy that is used to sell the product or service. For example, it is unethical to make claims that are false concerning the product or service, or to make false claims about expected results from the use of a product or service.

To get around this issue, as well as many FTC laws, many companies use very fine print to counteract what their marketing message is promising. We’ve all seen it. Consider the weight loss commercials that show peoples before and after pictures. If you zoom in close, you will see that at the bottom of the page or screen, there is very small print that states that these are not average results, and that you may not lose as much weight, in as little time, as the person on the advertisement.

Does that small print make this type of marketing anymore ethical? If you ask truly ethical people, they will tell you right away that this small disclaimer does not make the marketing ethical at all. It only serves to make the advertisement legal. There is a difference between breaking the law and being unethical. Can sales be made this way? Absolutely – consider that the weight loss industry is bringing in billions of dollars each year, yet there are still an overwhelming number of people who have tried those products, but are still overweight.

The diet companies are raking it in, selling the product with their unethical marketing, and leaving overweight people disappointed, feeling like failures, and in many cases physically harmed in the process. They are making money at the true expense of others, in terms of money, emotions, mental health, and physical health.

So, the question is, do you want to make sales in this way? Hopefully, you have a strong moral code that won’t allow you to do this type of marketing. Hopefully, you are only willing to include information in your advertisements that is true and proven, without all of the hype, or using examples that are well above the average results. This is what ethical marketing is. It is the ability to market a product, and still make sales, without false promises or hype.

While using true and accurate sales copy is essential to ethical marketing, there are also other forms of unethical marketing, such as sending spam email, spam faxes, or spam text messages, which is becoming the newest thing in unethical marketing. It is also unethical to trick people into giving you their information, or to trick them into spending more money than they originally intended to spend during the ordering process. For the most part, when you are trying to ensure that you are using ethical marketing practices, simply avoid doing anything that you wouldn’t want another company to do to you as a customer. If you adhere to that one rule, and look at things from a customer’s point of view, you won’t have to worry whether or not your marketing is ethical.

This and other topics that deal with corporate communications, business to customer relationships, and sales training through Collective Vision are just some of the topics discuss.

We help you create your future through Collective Visioning

And now I would like to offer you one of my book chapters absolutely free. You can get instant access at this site

From Jed A. Reay – The Communicator/Connector and Visionary Master Sales Trainer.

Article Source

Tags: ethics, marketing, responbility, person, result