IF YOU THINK IT'S HOT NOW, JUST WAIT

And I am not just talking about the weather. Business is definitely on the up-swing, which bodes well for all of us. In addition to gathering several new clients, the demand for our speaking is continuing to grow. Enclosed with this issue is a copy of an article on trade shows that appeared in the November 1998 issue of "HomeCare Magazine". As you will note, we are quoted liberally throughout the article.

We are also pleased to note that Elliott Black has qualified as a Certified Professional Consultant to Management (CPCM). The criteria for certification is quite extensive and once the CPCM designation is obtained, a rigid code of ethics must be maintained. To have achieved this level is indeed noteworthy.

This issue marks six years of newsletters and with your help and feedback, we hope many, many more. It is now available on our Web site and you can receive it via E-mail rather than regular mail should you so desire. Please let us know your wishes. Our Web site address is www.embainc.com.

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HOW TO KEEP WEB VISITORS COMING BACK FOR MORE

Let's say you've got a Web site in which you've invested substantial time and effort. Naturally, you want to encourage not only first-time hits, but repeat visitation. How does a company do that? Here are some proven strategies:

• Reward frequent visitors with a free promotional item or a service or product discount. This assumes that you actively encourage visitors to leave a name and address and that some of them do.

• To make it easy, offer a "point and click" E-mail link so visitors won't have to complete an on-line form.

• Ensure that your site's links relate clearly to what your company offers. Also make sure they're sequential, current and easy to find.

• Change your site's contents -- substantial portions of its visual and verbal elements -- on a regular basis. Monthly might be acceptable. Weekly is much better. Visitors will quickly lose interest if there's nothing new for them to see and read.

• Test your site's return appeal with a "focus group." Ask a small number of frequent visitors questions such as "What do you like most and least about our site?" and "What would persuade you to visit it even more often?"

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GET A CRIP ON PROCRASTINATION

"Someday I'm going to do something about procrastination!"

Sound familiar? Procrastination is a habit that's hard to break. We know the consequences: missed deadlines, fatigue, frustration, and yet it's still a part of our habit patterns. Messages like "Do it now!" are of only temporary help. What's really needed is to step back from our projects and activities and take an inventory of where we are and how much we tend to put things off.

Here's a simple way to assess the degree to which you procrastinate, plus questions and suggestions to help dig yourself out of the holes we all create.

First, write down each project for which you are currently responsible but which is, as yet, uncompleted. Be sure the list is complete. Write down everything you have to do at this moment, leaving out only those routine tasks which are done automatically with little effort on your part.

Leave some space to the right of the items on your list to indicate answers to the following questions

On which projects are you way behind on what you have to do? If more than 50% qualify, you have a procrastination problem. Read on.

Which projects must you do all by yourself? Really? Are you sure? Aren't there some you can delegate, even if you have to spend some time coaching so that others can do these in the future? If you can't delegate full responsibility, can you assign parts of the project, with deadlines so the results get back to you in time to wrap things up?

On which projects are you waiting for input from others? If you are, get on the phone and ask them for their contributions. Prepare yourself for their input so your job will be easier when their work arrives.

Which projects are, in your opinion, needless? These are usually requested by others, since you, of course, wouldn't generate needless work for yourself. They may be from the boss or other manager. They may be from customers. They may be from a parent company or government agencies. In any event, do these first! Get them finished and send them on their way, along with, if appropriate, your recommendation for how they could be more efficiently handled in the future.

Which do you just not want to do? Can others do them? If so, can you pass the buck? If not, make up your mind to devote one hour each day to getting them done. Pick a high energy time and tackle them to make some headway. You'll feel good about yourself when they're gone.

Which will take more than six hours to complete? Separate these lengthy projects into specific tasks and do one of these tasks each day. After a few days, the project will appear much less difficult and you can block out a chunk of time and finish it.

Which look impossible? These often look overwhelming at first, so spend your initial time with them by gathering information and clarifying what's required. List what you need and determine how to find it. Then set a goal of a week from now to have the appropriate information at hand. At that point, treat it like any lengthy project above.

When you've completed this exercise, make a two-week plan. Prioritize the projects you wish to tackle and set aside time each day to devote to catching up. At the end of the two weeks, evaluate your progress to see how you've done and make schedule changes. Whatever schedule you make, stick to it for each two-week period. Give yourself flexibility in your schedule so you can respond to emergencies, but don't fight other people's fires.

The final word: If you have a reputation for being a procrastinator, pick out some key projects and do them ahead of time. Start building your reputation. The really important jobs won't come your way until you're known as someone who gets things done on time.

...By Carter Johnson: Buying Time Seminars 630-910-1927

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DID YOU KNOW?

The dome on Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, conceals a billiards room. In Jefferson's day, billiards were illegal in Virginia.

Dr. Samuel A. Mudd was the physician who set the leg of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth… and whose shame created the expression for ignominy, "His name is Mudd".

When two words are combined to form a single world (e.g., motor + hotel = motel, breakfast + lunch = brunch) the new word is called a "portmanteau".

The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan".

In most advertisements, including newspapers, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand name of the watch.

Female orcas live twice as long as male orcas. The larger number of female orcas in a pod are because of the female's longer lifespan, not because the males have collected a harem.

Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button. It was eliminated when he was sewn up after surgery.

Being an umpire is like being a king. It prepares you for nothing. ...Ron Luciano

"I learned that a great leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don't want to do and like it." ….Harry Truman

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Sales people are always looking for the chance to make a sale. But the smartest ones also keep an eye out for times when the smartest move is walking (running) away.

Don't hesitate to leave the deal on the table and walk away if:

1. The buyer asks for a kickback or bribe. Earn sales with service, quality, and performance, not with questionable ethics or integrity. The short-term gain you realize when you compromise your principles won't be worth the price.

2. The buyer abuses you, your coworkers, or your product/service. You can't avoid abrasive personalities altogether. But it's OK to limit your tolerance for people who harass, belittle, or demean.

3. Close analysis suggests that the time and energy this customer will require doesn't justify the probable gain. "Fire" any customer who will cost twice as much in headache as he produces in cash flow.

4. The buyer asks you to modify your product to the point where you can no longer deliver the best. Yes, you need to modify and customize to satisfy the customer's individual quirks. But don't allow modifications that make you uncomfortable with your product or service itself.

5. The buyer puts too many demands on your fulfillment team. You need to stay on good terms with your manufacturing and service departments. After all, they must deliver on all your sales, not just this one. It is best not to antagonize them to satisfy any one customers.

6. Requested modifications will eliminate your profits. Agree to make expensive changes to your products and services only if the buyer is willing to underwrite the costs of those changes.

7. Your solutions won't work fully for this customer. You should never be so hungry for a sale that you are willing to close a deal that won't produce a satisfied customer. If you don't feel your product or service is the best solution, be honest. The goodwill you generate could deliver great returns in the future.

...Close the Deal,
Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman

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Faster isn't just better - it's absolutely necessary. How fast do marketers need to get information to prospective buyers? As fast as they can, according to a survey of executives with buying or specifying duties. Fully 70% of the 750 respondents said when they need product info, they need it immediately. Another 21% said they can wait two days; 7% said their limit is a week.

Website design: Forget what you thought you knew. Using lots of white space on your website doesn't attract and hold customers. Neither does making the site "readable" by using short words and sentences. These are the surprising findings of a new study on website design and usability. Many old rules of communication don't apply on the web. Example: Visitors dislike white space because they don't read websites; they skim them. White space slows that process.

New products, tough love. Don't be afraid to shut down a product development project if it doesn't look like the product will perform as hoped. A new study found that managers are reluctant to write off a project if it's really innovative. Even if it's becoming clear the product isn't going to be a winner.

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EMBA = INCREASED SALES AND PROFITS THROUGH EFFECTIVE MARKETING & BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

Your success is our goal. From small to large - from simple to complex - EMBA is here to provide your business with the 3M's: Marketing, Marketing Research and Management Assistance. Our team of professionals has been on your side of the desk and understands the daily problems, pressures and tough decisions facing you and your organization.

We Can Help!

Let us be your marketing partner. Call, fax or write for a no cost, no obligation consultation.

Our Services are Cost Effective

And We Get Results!

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FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

I do wish seasons would not go by so quickly. In fact, I wish the years would not go by so quickly. So much to do...so little time. We are expanding by leaps and bounds ... new clients, new personnel and a new computer system to better serve those new clients. No Y2K worries for us. Even though we are busy we always have room for additional clients...so...give us a call.

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