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Sustainable Marketing - 9 Ways To Save Costs And Have Sustainable Marketing (Third of 3 Articles)
Remember in two previous articles we talked about sustainable marketing and 4 ways your stationery was killing the environment? And by the way costing you more money too!In the most recent article we talked about the way stationery is printed affects the environment. Now I want to talk about how you can market more sustainably and save money at the same time! Hurrah! What Can You Do For Marketing Sustainability? There are a number of routes to sustainability success. These include the following: Using PDF for brochures, reports and pitches Using webinars to impart information to clients, suppliers, teams, prospects ... Making more use of integrated (and targeted) email Using cleaned mailing lists Cleaning in-house mailing lists Using environmentally friendly materials, such as papers and ink Use e-billing for accounts to clients Encourage clients with environmentally friendly solutions Using vendors that use sustainable methods to produce artwork, printed material, web sites, video and advertising. Any of these not only use more sustainable marketing they also save money too.Let me use a couple of them to explain how they help sustainable marketing.Using PDF For Brochures Using PDF format for brochures means clients can quickly change their brochure to reflect what they’ve discussed with their prospect. The prospect gets it via email as soon as it’s completed and drives the whole buying process much more quickly.Orienting the brochure to the prospect gives the relationship more impact. The prospect sees the agency understands their unique situation. It’s also easier for the prospect to send the brochure around their organisation for discussion.There are other ways to get even more buy in with a PDF brochure but I’ll leave that to your imagination.And the net result a massive saving in printing

zation of Executive time to ensure the success of the ERP intiative?

What specific decisions or processes help in the ensuring the right decisions are taken for the success of the intiative?

The rest of the article discusses areas which the Executive sponsor need to be involved in to ensure that the ERP initiative is on the right track

ERP Readiness Assessment:

The ERP readiness assessment process is aimed understanding the readiness of the organization to undertake an ERP implementation initiative. As stressed earlier this is not a technical evaluation of the organizations readiness although some aspects are assessed. This assessment approaches ERP as a strategic initiative.

The initial ERP readiness assessment has to use both qualitative information about the organisation on overall dimensions which affect all sections of the organisation and its stakeholders. The qualitative information pertaining helps evaluate the readiness of an organisation to go in for a full fledged ERP implementation and understand the various gaps which need to be

Setting Fees For Your Consulting Business
Setting consulting fees and hourly rates for a new consultant can be a challenging process. If you set the hourly rate too high, you won't get business, set the hourly rate to low and you'll not make money.There are several factors that determine the correct hourly rate for flat consulting fee. The most important is quite simply, how much do you need? There is a formula for setting this rate and you'll be surprised how closely the result parallels what others charge.X = hourly consulting rateTo find XX=y+H+M+P+FHow do we find X?First we need to define a few constants. We'll start with our base rate which is Y.A= is the salary you desire B= the number of hours you can realistically bill in one year.To define the base rate (Y) A/B So for example if you desire a salary of $80,000 per year and you can bill 1500 hours as an IT consultant you are left e rate of $53 per hour. This is not your base rate, you still have one more calculation.Next we have to add in the self employment tax. This is the tax for Social Security and Medicare for a self employed or small business owner. This rate is 15.3% Add this to the $53 (53 * .153)Now we have a base hourly rate (Y) of $61.At this point many independent consultants set their rate and hang up the shingle. This is why many of them are out of business within a year or two. You must consider all of the other things you'll need that your employer paid on your behalf, and money to grow your business.H = Health insurance costsThe first and most costly is health insurance. If you have a family of four you can count on at least $500 per month. Health insurance for self employed can be very expensive. Check with several brokers do get the best price and then divide the total yearly cost by the number of hours you will bill. Taking a rate of $500 per month, or $6,000 per year, at 1500 hours your rate will need to increase by $4 per hour to cover h

Over the past decade Enterprise Systems or commonly known as ERP have become ubiquitous in most large companies. Such as been the rapid growth of ERP since the late nineties that some of the companies which develop and sell these Enterprise Application packages also happen to be among the largest software companies based on annual revenue and they seem to be continually growing. Today Enterprise Systems not only include software which enables your organization to perform business operations but the packages also incorporate a large amount of industry specific business functionalities which will ensure that you do not have to do too many customizations to make the package suitable to your business operations. This verticalisation helps organizations adopt the system faster and too a large extent help provide growing organizations by provide a framework of processes for their business.

One of the distinct advantage of using an Enterprise System is that provides an integrated solution for the entire business. Typically organizations which adopted to Information technology early in the cycle would have taken the best of breed solutions for specific business needs like accounting or inventory management which although addresses the needs of the particular processes cannot communicate with systems working on some other process in the same organization. Thus the organization is saddled with multiple and disparate systems. Larger organizations who adopted to information technology initially had complex blocks of software built for their own specific needs, this was with an understanding that the process would not change so build a software to suit the process. Not only have these custom-built applications become difficult to manage but they also pose unique challenges in terms of upgrade or adaptation to the latest technology standards. A ERP on the other hand not only provides a full integrated solution for all aspects of business it also comes with its framework of upgrades to changing technology. These upgrade paths are usually defined by the Enterprise Systems vendor.

The other distinct advantage of an ERP package is that most of the standard business functionalities and operating processes are built into the software code, thus reducing the time required to understand process related issues of software implementation and also providing the organization with a standard framework of processes to use which enable the organization to adopt industry best practices faster. But this advantage of ERP is where some of the problems of the ERP initiatives also begin.

It is important for the organization leadership to understand that the ERP package is not just about automating business functions, but it is also going to force its own logic on the business. This could have consequences ranging from resistance by functional managers who have carefully developed a particular process over a few years now being asked to change it to disastrous results of the organization not being able to use the implemented Enterprise System because of its inability to change its process or adopt to the process built into the software. Since the system offers a standardize process for doing business and most organizations in the same industry and in the similar product usually use the same Enterprise system, how do you maintain your strategic differentiation. What will happen to all the carefully built processes which were nurtured and secretly guarded to give your company a competitive advantage one the Enterprise System is implemented.

From the perspective of the organizations leadership it has to be understood that ERP implementation is not a technology initiative but a strategic initiative which will change the way the organization does its business. As a corollary it is also important that the ERP implementation initiative has Executive Sponsorship at the Senior Management level and has the involvement of the business unit heads, it should not be an initiative to be undertaken by the IT Team of the company.

The few important questions that immediately come up are:

What are the senior management folks or the business unit heads expected to contribute in the ERP implementation initiative?

Are Executives required to only sponsor budgets and review progress or is there a more useful utilization of Executive time to ensure the success of the ERP intiative?

What specific decisions or processes help in the ensuring the right decisions are taken for the success of the intiative?

The rest of the article discusses areas which the Executive sponsor need to be involved in to ensure that the ERP initiative is on the right track

ERP Readiness Assessment:

Lowering Your Price Could Cost You a Sale
For some reason, many salespeople assume that lowering the price of their product will lead to an easier sale.Here’s the truth: You will make more sales by NOT lowering the price of your products.Why?There are many factors that influence a customer’s decision to buy, and price isn’t the most important. The problem is that YOU think it is. Focusing on price actually distracts your customers from what is most important to them, and diminishes their motivation for buying.Here are five reasons why lowering your price could lead to a lost sale:1. It makes you look like your competitors.Do you really think that your claims of having the lowest price will make you stand out? Every other salesperson says the same thing. Everyone claims to have the lowest prices because they think it will get the customer’s attention.Well, price is really the least effective differentiator in business. The only way to look different from your competition is to act different, and offer something that no one else can offer. A lowered price won’t cut it.2. It distracts you from your customer.Price does not determine the sale; your customer does. That means that your attention should be completely on them. Everything you do should help you understand and connect with your customers to discover their motivation for buying.Customers search for a product that is the best solution to their problem. They understand that a product cannot be the lowest priced and still be the best. Making the sale requires that you find the best solution, not the cheapest.3. It decreases the perceived value of your product.Before every purchase, a customer considers, “Is this worth it?” The answer depends on the value of the product, not the price. If they can envision themselves using and benefiting from the product, the answer is yes and the purchase is made.Without value, a product won’t be sold at ANY price, so don’t limit yo

y in the cycle would have taken the best of breed solutions for specific business needs like accounting or inventory management which although addresses the needs of the particular processes cannot communicate with systems working on some other process in the same organization. Thus the organization is saddled with multiple and disparate systems. Larger organizations who adopted to information technology initially had complex blocks of software built for their own specific needs, this was with an understanding that the process would not change so build a software to suit the process. Not only have these custom-built applications become difficult to manage but they also pose unique challenges in terms of upgrade or adaptation to the latest technology standards. A ERP on the other hand not only provides a full integrated solution for all aspects of business it also comes with its framework of upgrades to changing technology. These upgrade paths are usually defined by the Enterprise Systems vendor.

The few important questions that immediately come up are:

What are the senior management folks or the business unit heads expected to contribute in the ERP implementation initiative?

Are Executives required to only sponsor budgets and review progress or is there a more useful utilization of Executive time to ensure the success of the ERP intiative?

What specific decisions or processes help in the ensuring the right decisions are taken for the success of the intiative?

The rest of the article discusses areas which the Executive sponsor need to be involved in to ensure that the ERP initiative is on the right track

ERP Readiness Assessment:

Compliments Open Sales Doors
"An expression of esteem, respect, affection, or admiration;..." Compliment, as defined by Merriam-Webster's online dictionary.Compliment for Sales is not to suggest insincerity is okay. In fact, an insincere compliment can do more harm than good. What I'm writing about is "Sincere Compliments" which will drop guards, open doors and build relationships.But what if you can't find anything you like about the person? Find something.Find something that you sincerely respect or admire. For example; you could compliment them on surviving in business in their second year. "Congratulations Mr. Customer on surviving your first year of business (or second or third, etc) when 39% of start ups are out of business after their first year."This is a big deal! Every year that goes past is a major achievement for a business owner and believe me, we are proud of our achievement and would like a pat on the back for it now and then. If you are the person giving this compliment, your prospect will respond accordingly and in most cases give you the time to introduce your company.Search out information about your prospect before you meet with them and let them know you are impressed. Let them talk about their successes by asking them how they were able to achieve this level of success. People like to talk about themselves and when you can encourage this to happen you will build a good foundation to a new business relationship that is for the long term. After all, a loyal customer is better than a customer who makes a decision based only on the price.

iness functionalities and operating processes are built into the software code, thus reducing the time required to understand process related issues of software implementation and also providing the organization with a standard framework of processes to use which enable the organization to adopt industry best practices faster. But this advantage of ERP is where some of the problems of the ERP initiatives also begin.

The few important questions that immediately come up are:

What are the senior management folks or the business unit heads expected to contribute in the ERP implementation initiative?

Are Executives required to only sponsor budgets and review progress or is there a more useful utilization of Executive time to ensure the success of the ERP intiative?

What specific decisions or processes help in the ensuring the right decisions are taken for the success of the intiative?

The rest of the article discusses areas which the Executive sponsor need to be involved in to ensure that the ERP initiative is on the right track

ERP Readiness Assessment:

Why Managers Need the PR Advantage
Where is there a business, non-profit or association manager who does not need all the help he or she can find in achieving their managerial objectives?Help like altering individual perception leading to changed behaviors among their key outside audiences?Help in the form of positive actions affecting the behaviors of those important external audiences that most affect their operations. And the help afforded when the manager persuades those key outside folks to his or her way of thinking, then moves those people to take actions that let the department, group, division or subsidiary succeed?Of course they can use that kind of help. It’s called public relations.And here’s the premise upon which it’s based: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.Managers who adopt this course of action are then free to move beyond tactics like fun-to-manage special events, press releases and brochures and pay closer attention to the perceptions and behaviors of the very people who could hold their professional success as a manager in their hands.And there’s no end to the positive results. Savor these for a moment: new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources; community leaders beginning to seek you out; prospects starting to do business with you; welcome bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; customers making repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.Will an outside PR agency team do this sor

d in the similar product usually use the same Enterprise system, how do you maintain your strategic differentiation. What will happen to all the carefully built processes which were nurtured and secretly guarded to give your company a competitive advantage one the Enterprise System is implemented.

The few important questions that immediately come up are:

What are the senior management folks or the business unit heads expected to contribute in the ERP implementation initiative?

Are Executives required to only sponsor budgets and review progress or is there a more useful utilization of Executive time to ensure the success of the ERP intiative?

What specific decisions or processes help in the ensuring the right decisions are taken for the success of the intiative?

The rest of the article discusses areas which the Executive sponsor need to be involved in to ensure that the ERP initiative is on the right track

ERP Readiness Assessment:

Create A Resume That Advertises You, Inc
Make no mistake. Your resume cover letter is what will get somebody to read your resume.If that initial commercial for you isn't shockingly, preferably uniquely good, your resume probably doesn't count for much.If your cover IS great, though, you've got to have a resume behind it.Your resume needs to present the product (that's you) in such a way that the person reading it stumbles over himself trying to pick up the phone to call you.Having just read that, imagine most resumes you've ever read. Did you jump? I doubt it.Most resumes tell an exhausting story of a person's work history. What a resume should present is the high points of a compelling career narrative. Anything else is boring, useless reading for somebody who doesn't have the time for it. And won't take the time to read it through.So what should be in a resume anyway? Maybe not what you think. If you get nothing else out of this article, remember one point.A resume is not a laundry list of your work history.A resume must contain Professional accomplishments (dollar-quantified whenever possible) that your potential employer cares about Some more of those And, finally, some more of those Maybe that stuff isn't as exciting to you as your birthdate, or your hobbies, but nothing else matters as much as that quantified experience your potential boss cares about. If you create a resume without that in there, odds are good it'll end up in the garbage.Why?It's a matter of time, really. Your potential new boss (or somebody working to fill the position for him, like a recruiter) has only so much of it. Not unlike you, right?Imagine a business seminar where the speaker drones on about useless or redunant material. Work is piling up back at your desk. You have deadlines to meet. You were supposed to get something out of this seminar. Instead there's a boring speaker wasting your time.Get the pict

zation of Executive time to ensure the success of the ERP intiative?

What specific decisions or processes help in the ensuring the right decisions are taken for the success of the intiative?

The rest of the article discusses areas which the Executive sponsor need to be involved in to ensure that the ERP initiative is on the right track

ERP Readiness Assessment:

1. Organisational Vision
2. Structure,Hierachy and Work Culture
3. Current Business Processes and Process maturity
4. Goals and objectives of using IT
5. Current state of IT Infrastructure

This initial assessment need not touch upon any of the specific functional areas like Finance & Accounting or Sales & Receivables as the objective is not to get information on how the specific process is managed and it need not specifically look which type of technology or Package has to be used for ERP implementation. This kind of assessment, conducted internally or through an external consultant, is useful for mid-market growing organisations that need to assess their internal readiness for a successful ERP implementation and want to analyse the gaps in their approach towards an ERP initiative as against the present condition of their organisation. The recommendation could be looking for specific criteria in the ERP implementation or could also be a decision to hold the ERP implementation till some organisational initiatives are implemented.

The Go-Ahead decision on the ERP initiative

Once you have assessed the readiness of your organization to accept an full fledged ERP initiative it is time to make the crucial decision on going ahead with an ERP initiative. In mid-sized organizations since the ownership patterns are typically different as compared to large global corporations, the decisions can be expected to be much quicker. The decision of the Executive Team to Go-Ahead with the ERP implementation should include the following criterion.

Spend on ERP & IT Initiatives

The ERP implementation will be the critical part of the all IT initiatives in your organization. Typically for mid-sized businesses an IT spend of anything above 1% of annual revenues would be considered progressive. For the financial year you are implementing the ERP pacakage you may have budget a higher amount of upto 3% of your annual revenue. This is a crucial decision and the involvement of the CFO/Head of Finance therefore becomes important.

Processes which will be included in the ERP Initiative

This requires a critical evaluation of what is core to the business and inter-dependencies of the processes. Whether the processes are already covered by another legacy application is a consideration. Understanding which processes will be covered by the ERP initiative also help in the package and vendor evaluation which we will discuss in the next stage.

Change Impact

Whether you are using an IT application currently or not it is a fact that the ERP implementation is going to change the way the business is being done. The most critical impact will be on the processes being covered by the ERP. A typical way of communicating the change impact and getting buy in for the change processes is to involve the managers handling the key business process. But in many cases managers themselves may not be the actual users of the system and therefore the involvement of key users of the system post-implementation is critical. The other aspect of the change impact will be the implications of de-staffing or redeployment of staff in key processes.

Organising the Internal Team for the initiative

It is normal for the ERP implementation to be sponsored by an executive member at the CxO level of the organization and be lead by the senior IT manager. But in addition to the sponsor and the project lead, a large team needs to be constituted to ensure the implementation covers every aspect of the organizations business. Key members of this team would be the Senior Accountants who would bring in their perspective not only costs but also of how various processes and any changes in them impact the financials of the company and the HR Manager who needs to be in the know of the required organizational changes and re-structuring, motivating key managers and staff to be a part of ERP implementation either full time or as an additional responsibility is another reason.

Managers handling key functional areas or business processes are essential members of the team. One of the issues faced will be that the managers in particular func

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The most important question you must ask yourself before you start a marketing strategy or promotion.

Last night a good friend of mine said the following: “Dave, some people may feel that they are entrepreneurs but when they read about people saying that you are either born an entrepreneur or you aren’t, they automatically discount themselves from entrepreneurship and begin to feel that entrepreneurship isn’t for them because they don’t feel that they are natural born leaders; which is something that all entrepreneurs must possess.”

Open Mind: A Treasure house of knowledge! “Open mind gathers knowledge.” Open mind of a person has no preconceived thoughts! It has no egoism or restrictions! Open mind is very much receptive in action and is ready to gather knowledge liberally.

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