Dodo Loves Marketing

About one-fifth of households reported buying a figurine or sculpture in 2007, about the same as in 2003. A popular gift item for collectors, figurines often carry a greeting or social expression that makes them perfectly suited to gifting or as a remembrance. Figurines have been popular collectibles in the past, with lines such as Precious Moments and Hummel passed from generation to generation. But today, figurine collectibles are looked upon with disdain by many as something that one’s grandmother liked, but not something for me. ..more

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In 2003, just under half of U.S. households (48 percent) bought picture frames, a slight decline from the 52 percent. With more people buying digital cameras and thus having new pictures to display in their homes and offices, the picture frame industry has responded by offering new designs in frames that add visual interest and contribute to the overall presentation. Appreciative consumers are spending more on picture frames as a result. ..more

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People often think of ‘networking‘ as something that is only done at high-powered levels. Not so. Letting mothers at the school gates know about your services, swapping information with friends at the rugby club is all networking. ‘I found that other mums were my best customers,’ says Sarita, a beauty therapist. ‘When my sons were invited to tea with their friends, they’d often mention that I ran a beauty business and I got plenty of of clients that way !’

You cannot afford to be too indirect about offering your services. On the other hand, old contacts may be put off if you continually pester them for work. It is better to engineer a meeting about another matter and then explain what you can do for them, rather than endlessly cold calling. Persistence may pay off — but it can also put people off. This is why ‘forums’ for networking are so important. ..more

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However skilled you are at the work you plan to do from home, your primary consideration in setting up your new business, must be to establish your market. Quite simply, that means finding your customers. In any business, whether you are a plumber, consultant or counsellor, you need customers to succeed. Tracking customers down — and holding on to them — is one of the most difficult challenges for any new business. If it is remotely possible, it is best not to leave your current job, if you have one, before you have at least one or two leads. ..more

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Market research is also invaluable in pricing your product or service. Ron Flounders, of Hertfordshire Business Link, which offers free advice to start-up businesses, says that all too often people work out their pricing ‘back-to-front’. They ask themselves how much they need to earn, what their costs are, and then price the product accordingly — regardless of what the market will pay. In fact, what you need to do is market research to establish what price the market will pay, then work out your costs and from that see whether it is worth going into business at all.’ ..more

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Once you’ve done your market research and worked out if you can make a profit from the business, the next step is to take advice. This will not only confirm whether your calculations are realistic, but can take a lot of the pain out of setting up. The good news is that there’s lots of advice available - and much of it is free. What’s more, experts on small businesses reckon that over 60 per cent of small business failures could be avoided if only people took advice in three areas - money, management and marketing.

1 TECs/LECs A good place to start is your local Training and Enterprise Council (TEC), or Local Enterprise Council (LEC) . These can also put you in touch with other helpful agencies; such as your local Enterprise Agency and Business Link. You can find them through your telephone book, Yellow Pages or local library. The Department of Trade and Industry also has a hotline. ..more

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It is a sad fact of life that most small businesses require capital to start up. There are a few businesses which require only the minimum of equipment and stationery (journalism, PR and teaching, for instance), but most will require some form of outlay either for equipment, for stock or both. Then there are other considerations. You may need a budget for advertising, for accountancy and legal fees, or even for adapting your living room.

Before you even try to raise money, it is well worth thinking about the minimum amount needed. If the business is in the fledgling stage, try to keep only to the bare essentials — there will be time for a mahogany desk and state-of-the-art printer at a later, more successful stage. ..more

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There are thousands of grants and low interest loans available for small businesses. The problem is finding out what they are and whether your business qualifies. Some fields are more liberally provided with grants than others. For instance, the Crafts Council has a setting-up scheme which allows selected craftspeople to receive a grant of £2,500 for maintenance and up to £5,000 for equipment (they pay half of equipment costs), provided they apply within two years of setting up. While this would not cover your start-up costs entirely, it could certainly be a very useful addition. Other areas where grants may be forthcoming include : ..more

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If you are fully employed by a company or on a contract, this will not be an issue for you apart from the initial negotiation of your terms and conditions. However, if you are self-employed, there is no doubt that lack of security is a major issue and it may be one that will never be completely resolved. This is because however successful you become, there will always be good times and mediocre - if not bad - times, and as the owner of the business, you will take the brunt of this. However, there are ways you can minimize the lack of security experienced by self-employed homeworkers : ..more

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Problem people frequently create turmoil and dissension in the work group. Being able to stand aside from strong emotions and think logically and creatively is a most critical skill, but one which will require preparation and practice. Let’s look at a series of steps which you might try to sort out a problem with a person at your workplace.

1 Treat the person with respect

Just as it often takes two people to make a problem, frequently requires participation of the same two to reach mutually agreeable solution. Threat and intimidation can hinder problem solving, so be certain to approach the person with sort out a very sticky and difficult work problem by approaching the other party firmly and positively. Jennifer’s opening words were particularly impressive: ‘There seems to be a spot of bother in this matter and I’m calling to ask for your assistance in sorting out the problem.’ By asking for the other person’s help and assistance, there was little or no threat and a mutually agreeable solution was readily negotiated. ..more

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Harmonious and productive working relationships exist primarily because the needs of the individuals in the work team are being met. For some, there may be a need to remain quiet and removed so that they can get on with their work. For others, however, there may be a need to forge closer ties and warmer relationships with workmates. As long as the aims of the employing body are being met, then these varying needs of the work team members can be tolerated.

Problems occur, however, when this reciprocating system of need/satisfaction gets unbalanced. If one or more people want to satisfy needs which are outside the aims of the employing body or antagonistic to the other work team members, then problems occur. For example, if one person wants to manipulate the work schedule to ensure more flexitime at the expense of the others, then that person can expect some resultant turmoil in the group. As work team members often spend more time with each other than they do with their own family members, it is important to maintain positive and effective work relationships. Let’s look at several ways relationships at work can be enhanced and made more harmonious and productive. ..more

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Love and hate are potent feelings which can overwhelm you, often just when your emotions can least afford the upset. For example, how often have you experienced the following situations?

• Feelings of love interfere with your concentration at work.
• You love (and sometimes hate) a person who doesn’t love you.
• You hate your boss or a colleague.
• You’re jealous of the attention given to a person you love.
• You love a person working nearby, but fear acting upon your feelings.
• You were in a relationship until yesterday when your partner said, Enough! ..more
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10. Wait for the call to come through

Stay at your desk until the call comes through. If you disappear the call charge is still ticking away. Nothing irritates the person at the other end more than hanging on for an incoming call.

11. Make maximum use of operator time

The operator is probably very busy at peak times but not so busy at other times. He or she may be busy for only 50 per cent of the time and may like to take on additional work for off-peak times. ..more

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Employ more than one travel agent

Some firms get locked in to one travel agent, but by giving them a monopoly you could be the loser. Go to several travel agents to get comparative quotes for the same journey. Then you will see just how complex air fare structures can be and how a travel agent with a competitive spirit can save you a small fortune. In-house travel offices give good service but are they working as competitively as they can in a non-competitive environment?

Plan overseas trips

Overseas travel is so expensive that the maximum amount of planning should go into each trip. How often have you seen export sales executives sitting around waiting in the hotel foyer for their contact to arrive? Perhaps the reason for his delay is that your agent is out making last-minute appointments around town — a job which should have been done weeks ahead. ..more

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Markets are becoming more international, distances are shrinking, more and more executives travel more frequently on overseas trips; travel expenditure is an area of potential waste that once brought under control, can significantly reduce your cost burden.

Check the necessity for the journey

Check the reason for a journey, check that it has been planned properly and that there are clear new objectives. Check that existing objectives cannot be attained by means of cheaper communication such as telex, telephone or fax. ..more

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Most manufacturing and commercial concerns that hold trading stock find themselves having to write off a certain proportion of their stock value at the end of each financial year in respect of slow moving and obsolete stock. The strange thing is that, although the goods and materials were probably purchased by profit-responsible executives of the comapany, it is usually the financial staff who determine what and how much should be written off each year.

Accountants usually make provision in their accounts for stock which everyone agrees is definitely obsolete and unsaleable in the normal course of business. They also determine the write-off in respect of obsolete and slow moving stock on the basis of the age of the stock or perhaps a percentage of the stock value. Such arithmetically conceived write-offs are in accordance with accounting standards and conventions which require that accounts are drawn up on a reasonably prudent basis. Very often the detail of these various provisions is invisible to other members of the company. Perhaps greater visibility would help your company to establish sensible policies with regards to using or liquidating such stocks. ..more

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Having thought through the career possibilities and assessed the advice given by the resource people you consulted, it is time to consider the market—what jobs are available to you? Depending upon the type of work you do, or would prefer to do, there may be a specialised employment service available to help. For example, in most cities there will be agencies specialising in secretarial and receptionist services, computer personnel, and technical sales people, to name but a few. For managerial positions, management consultants can be approached. Generally, the fees for placing an applicant are paid by the employer, but there might be some service fees payable by the applicant. ..more

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Managers enjoy being involved in success and so will be full of enthusiasm as sales of a new product start to take off. Expansion and sales development from an increased range of products or a wider geographical area will not find enthusiasm or hard work wanting.

But how do we foresee the end of a product’s lifespan? Be prepared for it with a policy for new products and product improvements.

1. Prepare a product improvement plan

If your present products are selling well you cannot be blamed for feeling satisfied. However, your competitors are watching you with envy and will not have been idle. They are probably working at this very moment on a product with a few advantageous features, so don’t ever think that your current product design is the ultimate. There will be changes in style, custom, fashion, new technology etc. Ensure that your programme of product improvement keeps you ahead. ..more

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A difficulty in discriminating between our conditioned disempowering conscience and our true empowering conscience, is that what is seemingly right for one particular culture may be viewed as wrong by another. For example, one culture may choose to receive payment from the person accused of causing the death of a family member as appropriate compensation, but this custom of accepting ‘blood money’ could be considered immoral by another culture. Because of different cultural views, therefore, it is important to differentiate between morality and conscience. ..more

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Herons are fortunate in their ability to be patient in fishing for what they want. For his part, Man is unique in placing time constraints on the results that he wants in life and, in so doing, becomes restless rather than still. It is of course far easier to be patient for something when the outcome of it is certain, because in certainty there is less room for anxiety.

There is a direct correlation between patience and certainty as there is between impatience and doubt. The more impatient you are for something to go the way you want, the more you begin to question whether it will. Say, for example, you begin to question an intuitive idea that you were once certain was right. ..more

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