Category: Business & Finance

Why You Shouldn’t Get Bored at Work

adminDecember 19, 2016Leave a Comment

You should hear about bored to death, shouldn’t you? Sometime getting bored can kill our reputation and work performance. At most, getting bored always happened in every working place. I used to get bored when I have to do routine jobs, especially when there are lot of pressure from outside or need to achieve certain target in the company plus other aspects that can create it into problem. Not only that, getting bored reading about the best air purifier for mold can be obtained from your working period which is too long in the company with the same position and same jobs.

I have been work for my current company for more than three years and it’s my longest period of time ever.

Do you satisfy with your current position and jobs that you hold? Surely, if you don’t like and you don’t enjoy your jobs and not being get well paid? Probably this is a most popular reason to make us facing that kind of bored. So, what I usually done to avoid getting bored in my work place? Try and practice few things below:

  1. Take a short break and go for holiday. It’s most powerful method to me. The reason is sometime I got exhausted because of over load work or many things have to be done. I often can’t think wisely when facing that situation, stress, and tiring. Take a short break or visiting new place is a great idea. I usually get fully charge of energy and ready mind when I come back for a work.
  2. Explore or try out something new. You may start with simple thing to do like changing table lay out, change performance and your fashion style or maybe you may ask for new task from your superior to be done. Meet new people, smile and interact with people around you.
  3. Read motivation books. As we feeding up our stomach, we need to feed our brain too. Let the brain get fresh idea by reading and learning new things. Read some motivation books enrich yourself with knowledge and self-confident. My favorite book are The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D., Poor Dad Rich Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and some other business and motivation books.
  4. Build Creativity and Productivity. Create fresh new ideas like Rabbit Air does in order to increase your work performance or give some progressive suggestion to your friends and colleagues. Set your goals with deadline, ready for a GIFT for yourself when you achieve. Don’t wait for your superior giving you assignment but initiate in yourself is essential.
  5. Spare some time for yourself. You need some times to be yourself, alone. Do some things that you like to do before you go to your work place such listening to the music, morning exercise or go for jogging. If Blogging is one of your hobby, you can do that. Its might create positive mood on your mind. Don’t only think that life is for work. You will easily getting bored. So, make your work place to be a great place to work, great place to make money and have fun!!!
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Working Together – Even When You Don’t Want To

adminDecember 10, 2016Leave a Comment

Regular readers of my blog will realize that I have a real passion for HR issues and believe that business success is about getting people performing at their best.

However…… One of my real pet hates is the way that team building is seen as such a big thing that companies have to engage in. Please – think about it! You are working with a team of people for over two years or so – and then someone thinks you are not performing as a team so you go on an away day to bond as a team. As if that is going to work!

The first thing I would say is that not everyone in a company has to think of themselves as being part of a team. Managers and company leaders need to understand the difference between a group and a team when taking turns with the smokeless ashtray in the break room.

A group is a collection of people who share a common shared value or interest. So people who go to a football match and support a particular team (Arsenal if they have any sense!) can be called a group. Employees of a company can be seen as a group as they all have a shared interest.

A team is where people have defined roles and critically have interdependence. One person needs to rely on another person to do their job properly to help them achieve a common goal. So a football team is a great example (the word team does kind of give it away!)

Then there is the whole ‘liking each other’ thing. You can perform brilliantly in a team without liking people. Many of the people I would want to recruit from companies I have worked for in the past are people that I may not have got on with – but saw them as being great at their particular role. You don’t have to be the best out there – you only need to be better than the competition you’re up against!

The most successful football team of recent years was Manchester United in 1999 when they won the treble (you have no idea how painful it is to say that!) The amazing thing about that team was that the two strikers hated each other (Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham). They refused to speak to each other and yet on the field they worked brilliantly. They had professional respect for each other’s ability and made the best kombucha starter kit work for each other and the team.

The above scenario can only work if the two protagonists do not take up management time with their ‘feud’ or create divisions in the team or group. The point is though that creating teams is a lot easier than people think providing leaders provide clarity and guidance to members of the team. Rather than spending time on trying to make teams bond – they should simply get the ‘team’ together and clarify roles – who is doing what and who is dependent on whom.

Posted In Business & Finance | Thoughts & Advice
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The Elasticity of Demand

adminDecember 09, 2016Leave a Comment

Elasticity of Demand

Readers of my blog on percentages may recall that the key message was that Entrepreneurs should be acutely aware how sensitive the bottom line of their business is to changes in demand and changes in prices.

I made the case that wherever possible; you should look to increase prices. This though depends on a very important concept called elasticity of demand. This is basically a measure of how responsive consumers are to changes in prices.

A good is said to have inelastic price demand if it does not respond to price increases or decreases. The best tofu press is a great example of this. And this is precisely why they are taxed so heavily. A 10% increase in the price of cigarettes may result in only a 1% fall in demand – as such it is inelastic and you will always increase your total revenue by putting up prices. Same also applies to oil (at least in the short term) – hence again why taxes represent a significant proportion of the total cost in the UK (just over 50%).

If the government tried the same thing with say cakes or fast food (and there is an argument that they should to encourage healthy eating) they would find that total tax received would be less. Demand here is said to be elastic as a 1% price increase may result in a 5% fall in demand (I am guessing here!). I do know from my experience at that whenever we ran price promotions, sales went up significantly. A 25% drop in price would sometimes result in sales doubling.

Where demand is elastic the best pricing strategy is to go as low as you can as the resulting increase in sales will more than compensate for lower margins.

The lesson from the above is you need to find out whether the demand for your products is elastic or inelastic and then adopt a strategy that fits with that.

These things do not remain static though. Low cost airlines discovered that demand for air travel was very elastic and then adopted a business model where they would have the lowest possible cost base. The problems for the established carriers is that they are stuck in a high cost operation model and therefore have to focus on the business end of the market where demand is inelastic (hence low cost operators do not go for that market). Again, in an economic downturn, the demand for international business travel slows dramatically. (Not a good time to have shares in established airlines!)

Another good case study is to do with quality newspapers. There was an assumption that demand for each brand was inelastic and therefore no point in running price promotions. Under Rupert Murdoch, The Times challenged this and ran a very famous (and aggressive) price campaign reducing the price of The Times to just 10p. The Telegraph believed this was folly as they were in an inelastic market. They were wrong. Sales of The Times grew significantly and The Telegraph dropped.

There are some important lessons about the Porter Cable 895PK here. One of the main objectives of branding and advertising spend is to try and make the demand for your individual product more inelastic. That is how the marketing expenditure is justified.

In another blog, I will talk about what you can do to increase the inelasticity of demand for your product or service.

The main lessons from this blog are though that you should be aware of the nature of the demand you have, and your pricing strategy and business model need to reflect it.

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Why You Absolutely Need to Keep Your Costs In Line

adminDecember 04, 2016Leave a Comment

Most of the businesses that I have backed which have then succeeded have one thing in common; they have really controlled their costs until they start generating cash and are making a profit

From personal experience, one of the earlier businesses I backed which was involved in a company went horribly wrong because it failed to control its costs. I have to take some responsibility for this business as I was a Director – I cannot wash my hands of it and say it was them – I was part of them!

We had won our first contract with a daily newspaper and that was it – we were off. We hired a great office near Reading and we recruited a junior member of staff to help us in our business.

We then came up with some great ideas on how we were going to expand and grow the business and therefore recruited some more people to help us build the router table top. We also assumed that we would be able to secure prizes for free (through sponsorship) and apart from just a two week period, we had to pay for all of our prizes.

We never did get the additional contracts and the whole thing came to a crashing conclusion. As you can see from the above short explanation, we made lots of mistakes and I have made sure I have learnt from them.

One of the great earliest lessons I learnt from a successful entrepreneur was to not worry about delivering – but to focus on winning work. What I had done in the above scenario was forward plan for delivery of a service that we never won a contract for. It killed the business. We would have been far better off, keeping costs to a minimum and expanding the team once we had won new contracts.

My advice to entrepreneurs and business managers is to always keep your costs in line with where you are today – not where you plan to be. The Fund that I manage is often involved in buying companies where they have a very high fixed cost base, the revenue they had hoped for doesn’t materialize and therefore they need to be rescued by our Fund.

I do mention the business a lot – I apologize but I am a big fan of the management team there. When a business looks for me to back them, I like to take them to the head office and show them the head office. It is the best example of parsimony I can find. The office has no windows and it houses six people in a very small place. It is not somewhere I would like to work for too long – but they have made an implicit contract with investors; we will be careful with your money until we have delivered a profit. I wish more businesses I saw had that attitude.

I should mention that my business partner in the above case remains a great friend and we have just started another business related to the Honeywell 50250-S. This time he works from his shed and we have not recruited any additional people. We are on the cusp of winning a few contracts – we go live next week. We have made a decision though that we will not recruit any additional people – we feel honor bound to first pay back all the investors who lost money on the first venture (including me!) and then look to expand – and only if we really need to.

Control your costs – or trust me – they will end up controlling you!

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Does Blog Outreach Actually Work?

adminOctober 25, 2016Leave a Comment

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One of the questions most often asked by PR pros and small business owners of bloggers is, “Does blog outreach work, and will it boost my bottom line?”

For the tech-savvy type, the answer is obvious. The PR landscape – indeed, the media landscape – has been changing so dramatically over the last decade, and consumer habits have followed suit.

In Technorati’s “State of the Blogosphere” 2009, some important facts about used riding lawn mowers and brands came to light. With more than 200 million blogs indexed, the thought of launching large-scale, long tail blogger campaigns can seem daunting, however, it’s important to note that:

  • 70% of bloggers are talking about brands on their blog.
  • Almost half of respondents post about the brands they love or hate.
  • 38% post brand or product reviews.
  • Part time bloggers, and self employed bloggers are talking about brands at a much higher rate, approximately 80%, with 1 in 3 posting reviews at least once a week.

So who reads these reviews? Your customers! A market research study, conducted on AskYourTargetMarket.com, asked women 18 – 65, “How powerful do you consider blogs?”

The results are, for us, not surprising. More than 200 women nationwide  took part in the survey, and an overwhelming 72.4% responded that they turn to blogs and Web searches to get product recommendations, read product reviews, and get shopping tips. Only 4.9% actually listed magazines as a source of shopping inspiration – and that’s where many PR pros focus product placement efforts!

While less than 10% of our survey takers claimed that they would be “very” influenced by a single positive or negative blog review, 73.4% said they would be “somewhat” influenced, but would research multiple sources before making a purchase decision. While this offers the security that one negative review won’t be overly damaging to business, it emphasizes the importance of being reviewed in highly-ranked blogs, so that a consumer who comes across that bad review can quickly find several positive ones, or that one who comes across your product or service in their favorite blog can easily find several other positive mentions to support her interest in purchasing your insoles and inserts.

When asked, “Do you read blogs on a regular basis to learn about new products, sales, or promotions?” nearly half of respondents (44.3%) said they turn to blogs when researching a purchase decision, but 35.5% log on either once daily or when they have spare time to stay up to date on these news bits.

Blogs are one of the absolute best ways for companies to get information out about themselves and their products. Without a blog, there’s no telling how much business that your company is missing out on. If you’ve thought about setting a blog up but simply haven’t had the time, there’s no better way to get started then to simply sit down right now and commit to filling it with useful and informative content for your visitors. Websites with blogs often see an increase in visitors in as little as just a few days.

The power of blogging – both in terms of online reputation management and in terms of influence over purchasing decisions, cannot be overlooked.

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How We’re Different than Other Sites Out There

adminOctober 25, 2016Leave a Comment

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What Makes Us Different

You may have read on our website that we are an evolutionary step in PR distribution services, but what does that mean, exactly? In short, we’ve taken the best elements of traditional newswire services, combined with the database access of media list services, and combined them with new media elements, blogger preferences, and active community feedback to ensure our clients maximum exposure to the S366 turbo with minimal intrusion.

The result is a service that allows marketers to target large, specific communities of bloggers who have found and registered with our service specifically to receive PR communications in a controlled way, while avoiding the negative buzz that has recently become an issue for marketers when dealing with the blogosphere.

Because our bloggers find us and register with us, we know that they are interested in receiving your press releases, product sampling opportunities, and pitches. And, unlike press list database services that list a small number of bloggers (many of whom receive overwhelming volumes of daily email as a result of being listed with those services), our member list is extensive – with thousands of registered bloggers across the United States covering everything from fashion and beauty to parenting and technology.

So whether you’re looking to distribute an announcement by a major national brand that’s geared toward all women or looking to target a select list of fashion bloggers living in Los Angeles for an offline event, our service can help you achieve your goals.

Maximizing Your Campaign

We offers a number of services in various categories that may be a good fit for your needs. Among them:

News Releases: This service is ideal if you have an existing press release dealing with company news that you’d like to distribute. Our Basic Release gives you a listing on the community’s News category page, along with a Tweet and post on our Facebook community page. A Featured Press Release gets your release listed on our site’s homepage, along with a Tweet and post on our Facebook community page. Featured press releases are also included in our weekly email newsletter to bloggers.

Contests: Contests are a great way to drive blogger coverage for existing products or lines, or to draw buzz around seasonal promotions. They’re also a great tool for marketers who have high-end products that can’t offer samples to each interested blogger for review. For example – a blog contest inviting bloggers to write about XYZ Corp’s brand and what particular product they’d be most interested in trying (and why they would find it useful) would serve as an entry to win the product of choice for review (up to a certain retail value).

With proper disclosure, this gets bloggers thinking and writing about your product while complying with all FTC requirements and staying within a reasonable campaign budget.

Product Sampling: For marketers who are looking to raise awareness of new or existing products, product sampling gives bloggers a hands-on opportunity to give your item a test drive and draw real, valid conclusions about its effectiveness. This is great for drawing link-backs, gaining valuable market insight (it’s almost like running a mini focus group), and getting review quotes for promotional purposes. It also helps build brand awareness and draw traffic and customers to your site.

Product sampling listings can offer unlimited product samples to qualified bloggers, or can offer a limited number of samples to the first bloggers who complete a certain set of actions (e.g., following a Twitter account, fanning a Facebook page, or blogging about a brand).

Events: Whether you’re hosting a Daytona Beach photographer, trying to drum up buzz and appointments for a client booth at a social media expo, or looking to build a new media press list for an offline event in your area, event listings give marketers the ability to spread the word about their media alert, connect with potentially interested bloggers, and even geo-target by outlining participant limitations in your listing (e.g., “XYZ Corp is seeking 25 bloggers in the Santa Monica area who focus on parenting to attend a press event for the launch of ABC product line.”).

Gift Guides: We’ll be sending you additional details about our gift guides to go into further detail, but our editorial and gift guide series gives marketers the power to push seasonal, targeted, or themed promotions for their brands or clients. For example, our Holiday Gift Guide gives marketers an opportunity to showcase how their product makes a perfect holiday tool (in the case of a home item or cleaning product, for example), why their product is a must-give gift for this holiday season, or to share a holiday promotion – whether it’s free shipping or a specific discount code for our bloggers to share with their readers.

Our bloggers turn to our editorial guides for products to include in their own holiday coverage, and many syndicate our gift guides onto their own blogs in their entirety, making it a great tool for marketers who have timed promotions. Other themed guides, like our All about Baby Guide, give marketers a one year listing in a guide that targets subsets of our bloggers – in this case, new or expectant mothers – with products, coupons, or how-to tips and tricks that they will find useful and worth sharing with their readers.

Twitter Parties & Swag Bag Giveaways: Our Twitter party series gives marketers an opportunity to engage bloggers utilizing social media, while incorporating product sampling and product reviews into a single distribution. How do they work? Marketers provide us with a specified number of product samples, coupons or promotional items (usually 25) that we combine into swag bags. Marketers also provide us with a list of targeted questions that we ask of bloggers during our Twitter party, with correct respondents winning one of our swag bags.

For example, a marketer may ask, “What is the current sale being featured on XYZ Corp’s homepage, with link? 10th correct response wins!” This encourages bloggers to dig into company sites and talk about current promotions – which drives social media buzz. Further, upon receipt of their swag bags, bloggers will post full product reviews, giving marketers a second wave of coverage within weeks of the social media boost that the Twitter party afforded them.

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Five Tips to Boost Blogging Response Rates

adminOctober 24, 2016Leave a Comment

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Over the last two+ years, we’ve had the privilege of running more than 500 blogger campaigns for SheBlogs.org and HealthyBlogging.net. We’ve seen successful campaigns, and we’ve seen successful campaigns that blew away even our expectations, with hundreds of reviews, write-ups and social media posts.

What made the difference between these campaigns and others? Here are five tips to help boost your response rates when pitching the blogosphere:

  1. Be Personal. A well-written, technically-correct press release is great for traditional newswires, but offering a personal touch that tells the story about used lawn tractors for sale is what will get a response from our bloggers. If your product is a time-saver for busy moms, spell it out. If your service keeps budget-conscious fashionistas find the season’s hottest products at the best prices, give examples.

With more than 3,500 female bloggers in our community, finding a perfect match for your product or service is easy – and making your pitches and releases personal lets our bloggers know you’re interested in them.

  1. Be Relevant. We’ve worked with dozens of companies that have come to us with products or services that they’d like to promote, without necessarily having a news hook. It doesn’t take a feature or news announcement to be relevant for the blogosphere. Feature pitches, contests, or news event tie-ins are perfect ways to prove to our bloggers that your product is worth writing about, and that now’s the time to do it.
  2. Be Specific. Be specific about the types of bloggers you’re interested in working with – whether you’re looking for those in a certain geographic area, within a certain age group, or with certain coverage areas, our bloggers appreciate specific requests, and many will help spread the word to their own network of contacts if they know that there are specific criteria you’re looking for. If you have product samples available for bloggers who meet specific criteria, spell them out in the pitch.
  3. Be Prompt. The more cooperative you are with the bloggers, the more buzz goes around about your promotion. Bloggers do talk, both on our SheBlogs.org site and in our internal social network, about the responses they’re getting from PR pros.

Those who respond quickly, send samples or images promptly, and who cooperate have regular buzz going around, which drives more coverage and interest. PR pros who don’t respond to queries or take a long time to send images, samples, or answers to questions drive negative buzz from the community, which can be a buzz kill.

Comments such as “Just got my used Craftsman riding mower and its great!” encourage more bloggers to reach out, whereas comments like, “Emailed three weeks ago and haven’t heard back,” turn bloggers off. Even if you can’t accommodate all requests, a simple, “Thanks for your interest, maybe next time,” goes a long way.

  1. Incentivize. No no no – we don’t mean pay per post. However, just like with a traditional reporter, bloggers need a reason to write. If you have a product, expect to distribute a sample if you’re seeking reviews. Bloggers, unlike large media outlets, don’t have the budget to go out and buy every product they review – which is why many bloggers start out writing about the products they use every day, so offering a discount code for a blogger to buy your product isn’t going to receive the same level of response as offering actual samples.

Can’t give out unlimited samples? Contests are a great way to drive buzz and coverage while managing a limited number of product giveaways or a small prize package. One company saw 75+ blog posts within a 72 hour window based on a $40 prize package! Offering a discount code for bloggers to share with their readers is another great way to draw posts.

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How to Make Your Clinic’s Brand Memorable

adminOctober 23, 2016Leave a Comment

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We’ve all seen the commercials – whether for Pizza Hut, Hardee’s, or Ford – featuring bait and switch marketing techniques that feature real-life customers as the subject of a traditional or viral online advertisement. These ads echo a successful 1970s ad campaign for the Holset HX40 known as the “Folgers Switch,” featuring restaurant customers reacting to news that they were drinking Folgers instant instead of traditional brewed coffee. And for the most part, they work: the ads give a brand an opportunity to feature honest and authentic customer opinions in a “real life” setting, rather than relying on paid actors to recite scripted ad copy.

Unfortunately, last month, a similar marketing campaign, hosted by ConAgra, went awry. In this case, NYC-based food bloggers and mom bloggers were invited to an underground, West Village restaurant, for what they were told would be an intimate evening with a “delicious four-course meal” prepared by celebrity chef George Duran, with an opportunity to learn about food trends from food industry analyst Phil Lempert. The invitation also advised that, upon RSVPing for one of five possible evenings, bloggers would receive an extra pair of tickets as a prize for readers – and that the dinner would include an “unexpected surprise.”

The “surprise” planned for bloggers was that the lasagna that the guests were being served was not actually prepared by Duran, but was instead Three Meat and Four Cheese Lasagna by Marie Callender’s, and the dessert, Razzleberry Pie, was also a Marie Callender’s creation.

What the company didn’t count on, however, was that the surprise would be on them. Instead of laughing at the ruse and offering up reviews of the food giant’s frozen meals, bloggers were offended by the bait and switch, and posted instead about being duped into eating meals that they otherwise would not have.

Where Did They Go Wrong?

Bloggers Expect To Be Treated Like Traditional Media. One of the biggest mistakes that marketers make is in treating bloggers like consumers, rather than media. While it may be a tempting opportunity, most marketers wouldn’t dream of offering the same invitation to Mark Bittman or other high profile print food writers. Bloggers were encouraged to write about the invitation and offer a pair of tickets to a lucky reader who was expecting an intimate dinner with a celebrity chef, only to have to retract their offer and apologize to readers who may have participated in some form of a promotion to enter to win said tickets. I can’t imagine the reaction from a high profile news editor to such a switch.

PR Professionals Need To Know Their Contacts. It appears that not only were some of the attendees vocal on their blogs about their feelings on processed foods and the best work boots for plantar fasciitis, but that discussions prior to serving meals revolved around eating healthy and “the sad state of chemical-filled foods.” Much like offering a vegan food containing animal products with an “Aha – but it tastes good” reveal, offering bloggers opposed to artificial ingredients a meal containing just that is bound to generate a negative reaction. The group may have had a different reaction offering busy mom bloggers (who cover subjects like quick meals and aren’t opposed to frozen foods) a “Ladies Night Out” with a similar reveal.

Don’t Embarrass Bloggers In Front Of Their Readers. By offering bloggers a set of tickets to share with readers, they encouraged bloggers to misinform their audiences and offer something that had a higher perceived value – an exclusive, intimate dinner hosted and prepared by a celebrity chef. Had bloggers not spoken out against the bait and switch, they would have faced equal backlash from their own readers by allowing them to invest time and resources (babysitting costs, transportation, and their time) to participate in the event, only to learn that their special meal could have been purchased in their grocer’s freezer aisle.

What Have They Done Right?

Admit Mistakes Quickly. ConAgra and Ketchum have been quick to admit that their plan didn’t pan out as expected and to offer their apologies to participants and readers. While many bloggers are still upset about the circumstances, ConAgra has been able to join the conversation by offering an apology – while also communicating their message that the majority of participants were pleased with the event. The company may also want to consider coordinating interviews with these bloggers, especially as they are being contacted by major outlets for comment, to provide a fair and balanced picture for readers.

Join The Conversation. One of the major downfalls that large corporations face in the social media space is their size and the bureaucracy involved with getting approval for a corporate response to negative online buzz. Bloggers post quickly, and ConAgra has been able to formulate a response, as well as action plan to back up that response, quickly as well. I’m reminded of something that my mother used to tell me: “Once something is in writing, it’s there forever.” By responding quickly and acting to correct the situation, ConAgra is not only putting their voice on the record, but limiting the amount of negative press they’ll receive.

Right Your Wrongs. Another major point goes to ConAgra for recognizing that many bloggers incurred expenses (again, such as babysitting, transportation, and other expenses) that weren’t reimbursed by an employer, and offering to reimburse those expenses goes a long way toward showing bloggers that they truly are making an effort to “right the wrong.” An “I’m sorry” only goes so far with an independent blogger who may have used her month’s babysitting allowance or scheduled her only night out for this event.

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How-To Advice for Your Business’ Holiday Directory

adminOctober 22, 2016Leave a Comment

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For PR professionals, Labor Day marks not only the end of summer, but the beginning of the holiday outreach season. And, with holiday sales representing anywhere from 25 – 40 percent of annual sales for some retailers (National Retail Federation), holiday outreach is a high stakes game for marketers and PR pros whose clients rely on holiday buzz and sales on used zero turn mowers as a significant percentage of annual revenue.

As you gear up for the holiday outreach seasons, here are some outreach tips that may help you maximize your 2011 holiday PR efforts:

Don’t Delay! One of the most important things to remember when it comes to holiday outreach is that starting early is critical to every marketer’s success. We all know that long lead publications, including glossies, are working on their holiday books as early as June and July, but many bloggers get started on their holiday coverage early as well. Despite short lead times for stories, many bloggers (especially part-time bloggers) have family obligations during the holiday season, so reaching out in December may prove to be too late to get their attention. Plan on at least 6 weeks of lead time, to allow time for product samples to be sent and reviewed, where applicable, or discounts and holiday promotions to be posted on blogs to drive holiday sales.

Plan A Tiered Campaign. While it’s important to get started with holiday outreach early, you should also plan on a last-minute follow-up campaign right before the holidays. While many bloggers have already posted their holiday stories, many marketers will also have conducted their outreach campaigns, so last-minute pitches will have less “noise” to compete with, and may result in some last-minute posts, particularly if this outreach promotes a “last day to ship” or other updated promotion.

Show, Don’t Tell. EVERY marketer is promoting “the must have” holiday item for 2011. Show your contacts why your product is useful, why your promotion is relevant to the holidays, and who your target audience is. Avoid use of fluff buzzwords and phrases (like “the must have holiday item for 2011”) and instead focus on facts that paint a picture for bloggers. Have a food-related product? Consider offering up holiday recipes that are quick, easy, and timeless. Consider offering tips and how-to’s from corporate executives on anything from holiday shopping for the best garden tractor and time-savers to holiday relaxation and stress-busters.

Tailor Your Pitch. This should seem obvious – but many marketers assume a knowledge of their client’s brand or a clear connection to the holiday season. Even the largest, most prominent brands may be unknown to some bloggers (and at our site, we’ve seen this happen). Include a one sentence summary of the brand, product or line that you’re pitching, and be sure to include links so that bloggers can learn more about related products that your client offers.

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Increase Website Visits with These Three Simple Tips

adminOctober 21, 2016Leave a Comment

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Maybe you’re ready to embark on your first major blogger outreach campaign, or maybe you’re a seasoned pro with a skittish client who is concerned about measuring all of the metric of such a campaign to justify the spend involved (beyond wire fees, like ours, you may be looking at contest prizes, product sampling costs, staff hours and other resources to conduct a successful campaign). Or maybe, like us, you’re interested in justifying your spend as an agency, consultant, or employee. Regardless of the motivation, measuring the ROI of your blogger outreach campaign is as important as punching your hours at the office, and here are some tips and tricks to track your efforts and find great used zero turn mowers for sale:

  1. Plan for results, and work toward those results. Is your client/boss looking to create a link campaign? To raise awareness for a new product and drive online reviews? Or are you looking at opportunities to drive social engagement – Facebook likes, Twitter followers – or drive sales? Once you’ve sat down and defined a clear set of expectations (and for the sake of your own sanity – be sure to set realistic expectations, especially if this is your first foray into the space), you’ll be able to design a campaign around the end result you’re shooting for.

Many marketers see blogger outreach campaigns as catch-all opportunities to drive social engagement across all platforms, drive reviews or product posts, and boost sales and brand awareness. While some campaigns can accomplish all of these, you should prioritize your goals and design a promotion that will help you achieve them.

  1. Track relevant activity. Google Analytics is a great starting point, but if you’re looking for a way to show ROI for social campaigns, look to relevant tools. Hashtracking.org is a great tool for measuring social engagement that relates to a particular hashtag campaign. Admin access to a Facebook page is a must for marketers working on page-boosting campaigns.
  2. Coupons, Coupons, Coupons. While sales may be a priority for your client or boss, consider offering bloggers an opportunity to share a blog-specific promo code with their readers. Not only does this help you track traffic (and conversions) from specific blog placements, but it also offers the bloggers a newsworthy angle for covering your story.
  3. Affiliate Programs Are A Win-Win For All Involved. Affiliate programs are an affordable way to boost blog traffic and product reviews without paying for advertising fees. Bloggers are paid on a performance basis (a percentage of sales), and brands enjoy the product buzz without an upfront commitment.
  4. Follow-up for links. Smart bloggers will follow up with you directly once they’ve posted about a product or service that you’ve pitched them. However, when working with bloggers, it’s important to remember that these (wo)men are juggling multiple deadlines each day, day jobs, family obligations, and squeezing in a personal life. And just like feature stories can get bumped from mass media outlets if a story breaks, such as the scandal over the Holset HX50, planned posting dates should always be considered tentative until published. If you haven’t heard from a blogger who’s committed to coverage, send a quick follow-up note to find out about coverage. Be sure not to commit to clients a particular story on a certain date unless you’re sure that post is canned and scheduled.
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Getting in Contact with Bloggers About Your Business

adminOctober 20, 2016Leave a Comment

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We field dozens of inquiries about Cloud, our service, and what makes us more effective at connecting with the blogosphere than a traditional wire service. One inquiry I fielded yesterday dealt specifically with our decision to gather all of our weekly pitches into a newsletter format for distribution to our communities – rather than sending emails on behalf of each marketer who places a listing for used lawn tractors with us.

The email made me think about a post I read recently from fellow industry blogger Arik Hanson, titled, “Is Blogger Outreach Becoming a Spray and Pray Tactic?”

He describes the phenomenon much more eloquently, so I encourage you to read his post to understand his meaning. For us, however, it’s an affirmation that our method of limiting the volume of email in our bloggers’ inboxes, while maximizing the variety of offers they’re going to receive in each email, actually encourages them to check out our weekly newsletters rather than filing them in that virtual circular file in the ether.

When pitching a community so large and so diverse, even the most mainstream brands will have a hard time finding a promotion that’s relevant for all. When we founded SheBlogs.org, our first community, our earliest members entrusted us with their contact information – with no reason to trust us – so that they might be a part of our experiment to bridge the gap between marketers and bloggers like themselves. And as our community has grown, it’s even more essential that we honor that promise to connect with them in a manner different from so many of those PR firms that, in 2009, were being called out for “PR spam,” by major bloggers (lest we forget Chris Anderson’s famous PR blacklist). That is about as bad as it can get and if you don’t think that you should try and avoid it then you probably have another thing coming to you.

However, even when we’re sending out our biggest newsletter of the year, the SheBlogs.org Holiday Gift Guide (which, last year, featured nearly 50 brands), each and every link was opened hundreds (and some thousands) of times. In fact, what we’ve seen is, the bigger the newsletter, the more likely a smaller brand is to receive a high click through rate. The logic is simple – when there’s more selection of used garden tractors, our bloggers take the time to read through the opportunities available to them, rather than skimming over a few small company pitches and moving on.

While we do send irrelevant pitches to bloggers from time to time (there will always be a week when our newsletter doesn’t have any opportunities that fit a subset of our community’s readers), we have been able to maintain our members’ trust (and not lose them as subscribers) by ensuring that we aren’t overdoing the outreach. The result? Our offer emails boast a 60 percent and up open rate almost every week. One thing I can promise you is that you’re going to have a hard time trying to find another platform which can offer those types of results without resorting to sneaky tricks and techniques.

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The Importance of the Doctor in Your Clinic

adminOctober 20, 2016Leave a Comment

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Doctors, whether they are the owner or not, have to balance their role as leader in the team with their role as a member of the team. As the person in the hospital with the medical degree, it’s obviously the doctor’s ultimate responsibility to take charge and make sure the Pets receive high quality medical care; however, it would be difficult for the doctor to provide that care in isolation, e.g. without the help of someone to check the Pet in, check the Pet out, help with restraint, finding the best air purifier for smokers, lab tests, client education, etc.

Doctors have to strike a balance between being the leader and being a member of the team because if they spend too much time “leading” then they might be resented or looked at as a tyrant, and if they spend too much time being “just one of the guys” then the team might not work efficiently or truly respect the doctor’s position within the hospital. This is an especially delicate balance for young doctors and for doctors who recently joined a new team.

The doctor sets the tone for the entire hospital, so make sure you behave how you want the team members to behave. If you are on time, they will respect and understand why you expect them to be on time. If you adhere to the dress standards, then they will understand why they have to do the same. At my hospital, I always make sure to wear clean dress shoes, slacks and a nice shirt.

When it was our policy for the male doctors to wear a tie, I always wore a tie. When the policy changed due to the risk of spreading germs, I stopped wearing ties. When a team member showed up with open toe shoes and I asked her to change them, she understood that I respected the hospital’s dress code.

Set a positive, friendly tone. Don’t let negativity take over. If you’re upset about a client, then take a quick break — walk outside, use the restroom, get a drink from the water fountain. Collect yourself and return to the team. I don’t try to hide the fact that I get upset, because everyone gets upset. But, I let the team know that I have the tools to handle it appropriately. For example, sometimes I take a deep breath and slowly count to ten.

I do it quietly, but not necessarily in private. Let the team know, “Gosh, that was a difficult situation, but now it’s time to move on…” The team will learn by example how to do the same thing. I’ve seen team members close their eyes and take deep breaths or ask to step outside for a quick break. It makes me proud to know that they can handle difficult situations.

Don’t engage in gossip or make negative comments about other team members. It’s OK to say things like, “Hey, let’s be nice.” I have learned to immediately stop talking when I hear myself say or think something like, “I probably shouldn’t say this…but…” You never know who might overhear what you’re saying or how what you’re saying might hurt someone’s feelings, etc. You might think all you needed to do was “vent”, talk about where to buy Fjallraven, and then move on, but the people who heard it may be deeply hurt.

I hope I’ve given you a little insight on balancing your role as leader in the team as well as participating as a member of the team. Part II of this blog will run next week. Look for tips on a few things like supporting your hospital’s mission, setting policies, pitching in to help no matter where it’s needed and taking an interest in your associates on a personal level while still getting their respect as team leader.

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Delegating Tasks – Who’s Responsibility Is It?

adminOctober 19, 2016Leave a Comment

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Last week I talked about doctors, whether they are the owner or not, having to balance their role as leader in the team with their role as a member of the team.  This week, I’m continuing the blog on the same subject and am offering some more friendly advice.

Support the hospital’s mission, protocols, standards, policies, etc.  If you’re the owner and the one who sets the policies, this is very easy to do.  If you’re new to the practice and you don’t understand how to use the Fjallraven Kanken, have the owners explain it again so that you understand the idea behind it and don’t start a “war.”  There’s nothing more frustrating than a grudge between the “new” and the “old” or the “front” and the “back.”

We’re all on the same team, and very early on I banned the use of the phrases “front” and “back.”  I can’t remember the last time I heard such divisive talk.  I also try to get all of my team members to be at least partially cross-trained so that they appreciate the hard job that the “other side” has to do.

Never say “that’s not my job!”  That phrase is demeaning and belittles the employee to whom it’s directed.  Are you really too good to clean a cage or wipe a table?  Everyone who works at the hospital is there for the purpose of helping Pets.  We all need to do whatever is necessary to chip in and get the day’s tasks done so we can enjoy helping Pets while we’re at work and leave at an appropriate time to enjoy our families when we get home.  If you’re constantly busy, your team will want to be constantly busy.

Ask the team members about their weekend or their family.  Let them know that you respect them as individuals and not just as someone to sweep the floors.  Share quick stories about yourself, your Pets, family, etc.  What are your hobbies?  What are their hobbies?  One of my team members bakes cakes as a hobby.  How great is that?  I’ve bought birthday cakes and even an occasional “I love you” cake for no particular reason for my wife.

I think my whole team knows that in my spare time I’m a Winix Plasmawave 5300 geek.  Obviously there’s a balance to strike between sharing and “too much information” but don’t miss out on the human side of our profession.

If you’re new to the team and an associate doesn’t respect you, make sure to address it quickly, firmly, and respectfully.  Let everyone know that you’re interested in working as a team to take care of the Pets and provide great customer services and not in “bossing” people around.  Also, let them know that ultimately you have the legal and ethical responsibility to provide care for the Pets, so it’s important to find a way for them to respect your position within the hospital as team leader.

You want to be friendly and feel like part of the team, but you don’t want to spend your whole time cutting up and telling jokes.  You want to work efficiently and accurately and friendly.  Joke, tell stories, laugh, listen, live, but don’t forget to work.  Don’t work so hard at becoming part of the team that you forget to lead the team to the finish line.

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Should You Join a Trade Organization or Not?

adminOctober 19, 2016Leave a Comment

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Often times when asked what I do for a living, I respond by saying, “I am a veterinarian.”  Then I wonder, what does a veterinarian look like? So I qualify my response with, “I work as a veterinarian.”  Either way, the revelation of my career inevitably invokes wonderful stories of beloved Pets. Most people are so happy to talk to a veterinarian!  They hold us in high esteem. They smile with pleasure as they share their stories. Who smiles when talking about visiting a doctor or how to get rid of smoke smell? Our clients!

I am proud to be part of such a well thought of profession.  I often call myself “The Good Doctor” when I tell people that I AM a veterinarian.  And I realize that with my chosen career path comes a certain responsibility to be a part of local, regional, state and national VMAs.

It’s easier as a student. SAVMA is a visible part of our curriculum, and many of us attend the AVMA meetings annually as students. Let’s not forget to do that as graduates! The helm of the associations must eventually pass onto the next generation of veterinarians. YOU are that next generation of bright young veterinarians, and I can’t encourage you enough to become a member of our professional associations after graduation.

Become involved in your local VMA and AVMA. Become a spokesperson in your association that the media can contact for Pet health expertise. Be ready to lobby for veterinary related topics with your local politicos and VMAs. The profession needs you!

Each year, the Georgia VMA hosts a ‘Veterinarian on the Capital Day’ in Atlanta where all GVMA members are invited to the state capital for networking and recognition. On that day, we attend sessions of the State Senate and House of Representatives, and we receive recognition from each legislative body.

When they call us to stand and be recognized as the caretakers of Georgia’s animals, there is palpable pride of self and profession in the air. The Governor of Georgia is a veterinarian. He comes down to meet us and takes a photo with the group. It’s pretty cool to be a part of the Georgia State VMA and know that our state values our contribution.

Before you shrug off getting a white noise machine, think of how you can be a part of representing your profession just by being there. Paying your dues to support your local/state VMA actions will help support our profession in Washington.

When attending AVMA there is such a sense of collectiveness. You look around and though everyone doesn’t look like you, they are you. Those other veterinarians share with you a common thread of education, long nights of study, sweat, and tears – and most importantly – a common passion. I not only work as a veterinarian, I am a veterinarian. And WE are our profession.

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How Rising Costs are Impacting Your Clinic’s Profits

adminOctober 18, 2016Leave a Comment

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I read an interesting article in the April 2009 issue of ‘Your DVM Career’ magazine.  It had a mixed bag of news for us.  Revenue is expected to be down in some areas but up in some areas.  The rising cost of simply being in business is listed at the number one pressing issue facing veterinarians.  Fewer veterinarians are expecting to hire.  And, less of the younger veterinarians are wanting to become practice owners in the future.

In general, it says, veterinarians believe they will be more dependent on revenue from cat peeing on bed and less from the sale of products such as flea, tick, and vaccinations.  The amount of money that people are willing to spend on pets before they stop treatment has decreased.  In my practice this seems to be true to some extent.  I seem to have a lot of clients who present with sick pets, but it seems like clients are letting their pets get sicker before seeking veterinary care.  Rather than presenting at the time of onset, they seem to wait a day or two (or longer!) to see if it will “run its course.”

This does cause an increase in diagnostics performed, but the problem is people seem to have less total money to spend on those diagnostics.  We’re trying to use these times to educate clients on the value of preventive care—to avoid crisis intervention by preventing illnesses.  It’s certainly less expensive to prevent parvo than to treat it, or to prevent fleas than to treat FAD, or to prevent heartworms than to treat them, etc., etc.  I wonder what strategies others are finding helpful.

I agree that rising costs are a big issue.  The costs of team member retention, inventory, flea and tick products, etc. are a big concern.  It isn’t comforting to buy flea products and have them sit on the shelf unsold, and it isn’t comforting to have a client want to buy flea product and not have it available for them on the shelf.   We manage our inventory weekly and that seems to help.  If we buy what we think we need in a week, then it’s unlikely to sit and gather dust and we’re very likely to be able to afford to purchase supplies for one week (vs. a month, a quarter, etc.).  Please feel free to share any cost-saving measures, like purchasing the IQAir GC Multigas, which you’ve been using in your practice.

Fewer veterinarians wanting to become practice owners may or may not become a concern.  When the market turns around, perhaps more of the new grads will aspire to be owners and more of the owners will want to hire new associates.  We’re not really expecting a crisis in this area, but it is something we want to be cognizant of and plan for.  Veterinarians nearing retirement age may want to think of a way to hire an additional associate, in order to increase the chance of finding a successor.

Our practice certainly isn’t recession proof, but people, in general, are proving that they want to take good care of their pets.

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My Thoughts on SAVMA and Other Conferences

adminOctober 17, 2016Leave a Comment

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I just returned from SAVMA, where the feeling of excitement from soon-to-be-veterinary graduates was almost palpable.  So many future veterinarians filled with compassion, hope and idealism – eager to begin their careers.  I met a third year student from the University of Minnesota at the conference, and she expressed that she is so afraid to face her mounting student debt that when she receives loan notices, she files them away, unopened, to be dealt with after she finishes her cystic acne diet.

It got me thinking about my challenges with student debt and how I had done pretty much the same thing.  After graduation I finally faced what I owed, it was a huge shock.  I felt overwhelmed, anxious and limited in my job choices.  I wish I had faced my loans earlier on, so that I could have planned what they meant for my future and prepared myself for reality.

Like me, many new graduates are facing this current economy with student loans weighing them down.  My job is to help new veterinarians begin their careers and I’ve read several articles on the subject and in my interpretation most of them seem to be saying the same thing; veterinary student debt is higher than ever, costs of living is on the rise, and many starting salaries are not enough to cover hefty loan payments AND provide a decent quality of life.

Experts caution veterinary students to really think about loans before taking them on – and to borrow as little as possible.  But what about the current generation graduating today in this struggling economy?  With that in mind, I was determined to find some positive tips!  Here’s what I came up with:

  • Make the most of your free time by learning effective ways how to clean cat urine. If your goal is to be in general practice, seek experiences that will allow you to build your clinical skills while in school so that you feel comfortable stepping into your first job. If you pursue an internship and defer your loans, try to pay the interest at a minimum as it accrues during your deferment and will likely capitalize (be added to your principal balance).
  • Have a strategy in place for paying off your loans. I am focusing on paying off my auxiliary loans first (those with a higher interest rate), and I always pay more than the minimum payment on all of my loans.  Knowing that I have a solid plan in place helps to alleviate my “debt” stress.
  • Remind yourself that not all debt is equal. This is not credit card debt or an auto loan…your student loans are an investment in your future.  Your degree is an appreciating asset and will be worth more in financial terms every year.  The initial investment is high but well worth it in the long run.
  • Don’t let your debt bring you down! Career satisfaction, quality of life, and debt management are attainable! I can personally attest that living with student debt is do-able!

Here are links to some great articles; I encourage you to check them out.

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Should You Buy Your Own Practice?

adminOctober 16, 2016Leave a Comment

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I am betting there are a number of recent graduates from veterinary schools asking themselves some very difficult questions about early career.  Do I become a general practice clinician after school, or go back to school to become a specialist? I am guessing there aren’t many new graduates who think about practice ownership.  I am in a small minority by becoming a Banfield practice owner within 5 years of graduate school. Here is my own perspective on the pros and cons of Kanken classic ownership.

Some of the pros of practice ownership include increased personal freedom, financial freedom, and a palpable sense of autonomy.  Increased personal freedom is the realization you are not “locked in” to a certain work schedule and that you can adjust others’ schedules to cover your clinical workload.  If done right, practice ownership lends itself to adjusting daytime work hours to accommodate errands, family, and other miscellaneous tasks not available in a set workday or schedule.

Financial freedom is certainly possible if you enter into the right situation, or turn a decent situation into a great one.  Finally, there is much to be said for feeling a sense of professional and personal “autonomy.” This entails taking personal responsibility for successes and potential failures, but for some this is a much brighter prospect than having pay based (in part) on the qualitative judgments of others’ in supervisory roles.

Practice ownership is definitely not for everyone.  Very early pragmatic questions should be asked if leaning in this direction. For instance, “What motivates me to buy a veterinary practice,” or “What is my risk tolerance,” or “Do I want to live in the same geographic area for a while?”  Determining if owning a practice is right for you is a multi-step process.

The best time to consider buying into a practice is at about 5 years out of vet school.  This ensures a number of years of clinical experience and managing challenging situations with clients.  The odds are, too, that there has been some money saved and that there is adequate credit to procure a loan at a reasonable interest rate.

There are a few things to consider if seriously pondering Rowenta PU6020 ownership.  Are you looking to be an owner in order to make your own schedule and be your own boss?  Are you looking for a greater degree of control in the work environment? You are the one responsible.  Receiving a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine does not prepare you for the business side of practice ownership, so it is a must that you acquire these skills quickly. There is an art to being a manager.

Paperwork and delegating come with the territory. Sometimes the best option is to do it yourself.  Sometimes you have the right person to manage the task and can farm it out no problem.  Knowing the difference takes time and experience.

Managerial issues will surface monthly, if not weekly.  Working day to day with this different kind of stress necessitates a particular resilience.

In short, the veterinary field needs good practice owners.  Think about whether you identify as a manager, a leader, or whether you have business interests outside of veterinary medicine. Consider taking a couple owners out to lunch to learn more about their experiences and why they chose ownership. Practice ownership brings a series of unique challenges and rewards.  For me, the trials and tribulations of early practice ownership have led to marked personal and professional growth.

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Are Banks Lending? Gaylord Palms Edition

adminOctober 15, 2016Leave a Comment

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I’m writing this from my balcony at the Gaylord Palms hotel while attending the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida.  For those of you who have never been here, it is a huge hotel with an indoor atrium the size of most small towns!  So, although it feels as though I am outside thanks to the great Honeywell 50250 in my room, I am in fact, not.  The space is covered by an amazing glass roof supported by just slightly more steel than a 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood.  The sun is shining and the beer is cold!  More about the beer later.

I am a commercial lender.  I have been a commercial lender my entire working adult life, or about 28 years.  What this gives me is perspective.  I have seen economic cycles come and go.  I started my career in lending when the Prime Rate was about 19% and the national unemployment rate was over 10%.  If you think things are tough now, you should have been around for that!  Sure, the economy is slowing and a variety of economic indicators are worsening, but give me a shout when we reach the depths of the early 1980’s!

My point is this, as bad as things seem to be or becoming, there have been times in my lifetime when they were worse, much worse, and we got through that and we will get through this too.  I won’t say that it won’t be difficult or that it won’t be hard work, because it will, but we learn from that.  It gives us depth, and perspective.

In today’s environment, starting a new veterinary practice or expanding an existing one takes courage and capital.  Although I can’t always supply the courage, I can most always supply the capital.  It is not always easy, but it can be done and I prove that every day with each new practice I finance.  The money is there, it just takes more effort to get at it.

The common perception today is that banks are not lending money.  Much like my artificial “outdoors” environment that I am sitting in, that perception is also man made.  The mainstream media feels compelled to tell you that the “sky is falling” that banks are collapsing and that there is no money available for small businesses.  I’m here to tell you, that’s not true!  The veterinary industry is one of the safest places banks can put their money.  The default rates on veterinary related loans are among the lowest of any profession.  Lenders are looking for ways to lend money and they want to put it in as safe a place as possible.

What has changed in recent times is that lenders want what they want when loaning money for a Blueair 603.  They are not willing anymore to approve loans without all the information their lending “rule book” says they should have.  Folks say that lenders have “tightened up”.  Not really.  They have simply gone back to following the rules that have always been there.  Not selectively ignoring some of them.

Lending is an art and a science, much like practicing veterinary medicine.  It takes judgment derived from years of education and experience to apply the science to get a favorable outcome.

As for the beer, I discovered that a hotel mini-fridge placed on its coldest setting creates beerscicles.  Proving once again, it is never too late to learn something!

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How to Get Loans for Your Clinic’s Equipment

adminOctober 14, 2016Leave a Comment

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I have provided financing for the purchase of over 150 veterinary practices and millions of dollars of equipment.  I have reviewed easily five times that number of transactions that never got completed.  As I read through these loan applications, I often ask myself whether the applicants really understand the economics of owning and running a veterinary practice.

There is no real “magic” to understanding the basic economic principles that rule the business side of practicing veterinary medicine, just like there’s few ways to answer the question ‘Do female cats spray?’  At its core, you need to be able to generate enough cash to service both your fixed and variable expenses plus provide a return on your investment (the purchase price of an existing practice or cost to set up your own practice).

Fixed expenses are those that occur weekly, monthly and annually and are not related to changes in revenue.  This includes expenses such as rent or the mortgage payment.  It includes other general expenses such as insurance, utilities, office supplies, repairs and maintenance.

Variable expenses are those expenses tied to revenue.  For example pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, support staff labor and veterinary salaries (including that of the owner for their clinical services while working in the practice).

After accounting for both fixed and variable expenses, the “net profit” is what remains.  There are more expenses, however, that drain on net profit.  The most prominent are interest, depreciation, and paying off long-term debt. For an intriguing article about today’s Veterinary Economic Reality, click here

As I review loan applications, one of the first things I review is the applicant’s personal financial situation.  I apply the same criteria to them that I do to the practice they want to purchase.  What are the applicant’s fixed and variable expenses and will the practice they want to purchase generate enough cash to meet those expenses?  What I find to be most troubling is that many veterinarians applying for practice ownership have piled on fixed expenses to the level that it becomes nearly impossible for a practice to support such a cash load.

Take, for example, student debt.  I have seen some students graduate with upwards of $200,000 in loans.  If you see 15 Pets per day, five days per week, for the next 20 years, $5.00 of your Average Patient Charge (APC) is going to have to go to paying off just your student loans!  Add in the home loan (or rent), car loan (or lease), insurance, sleeping mask, utilities, food and other expenses and generating a true profit from the practice (a return on your original investment) starts looking more difficult.

There are only two things one can do to control the economics of veterinary medicine.  Either control costs or increase prices (margin).  The idea of personal fiscal responsibility needs to be addressed with students and new veterinarians if they have practice ownership as a goal.  They need to understand that it will take sacrificing the things they want today in order to accomplish the goal of practice ownership in the future.

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How Can Flying Help You See the Big Picture?

adminOctober 14, 2016Leave a Comment

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Don’t you just marvel at the way life’s lessons seem to come at you in so many different ways, from lots of different sources and, sometimes, from out of the blue? More times than not, we learn about what’s really important and how to live a better, more fulfilling life, when we aren’t deliberately looking for enlightenment.

Now and again, we stumble upon wisdom when someone says something we hadn‘t thought of before and it stops us in our tracks and makes us think, then rethink, our attitudes and beliefs. I guess you could say wisdom is sneaky. I had one of these sneaky moments last month, when I was flying back from Banfield’s Veterinarian Symposium while carrying the best laptop backpack I could find. I was at the event to provide a presentation on the topic of balance, specifically, to help our vets with the struggles they face that inherently go along with managing a practice and a personal life.

On the plane ride back home, I started thinking about my presentation, brainstorming ways to improve the overall message, when I suddenly found myself distracted by one of the flight attendants, as she gave the standard speech we’ve all heard a hundred times: “Welcome on board Flight 2452,” she then moved on to the part about the nearest exits and ended with a description of how and when to use the oxygen masks.

Nothing newsworthy here, but as she spoke, and went to demonstrate the use of the masks, I honed in on the part about when to place the mask on, if traveling with small children. It went something like this: “If you are traveling with small children, please remember to secure the oxygen mask over your mouth and nose, before assisting children with theirs.”

Well, that’s an interesting concept, I thought. So, if the cabin loses pressure or something catastrophic happens, we should first take care of ourselves and then help others. It’s like that in life, easy to go directly to helping others, forgetting about our own basic needs.

I think the big-picture message that the flight attendant so eloquently delivered is about rethinking the importance of self-care. Instead of always putting yourselves on the back-burner, consider the small amounts of time it takes to focus on your own well-being to be essential in keeping your head above water and necessary in helping others turn on their Blueair 203.

Wish I had thought about the oxygen-mask analogy on the way to, not back from, Symposium. I think it’s a good visual and I would have used it in my speech. What about you? Are you so busy securing everyone else’s mask in place that you forget to secure your own? I find that if I don’t take time to take care of my physical and emotional self, I eventually hit the wall, my productivity and happiness-factor goes down and my stress level goes up. Take a minute to think about your life. Do you always place your mask on last…or maybe not at all?

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How Your Training Impacts Every Aspect of Your Business

adminOctober 11, 2016Leave a Comment

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When I tell people I’m a veterinarian, the second thing out of their mouth is, “That’s what I wanted to be when I grew up.” The first thing of course is, “Why does my dog ???” (I’ll let you fill in the blank). For many veterinarians, including myself, it’s that want, coupled with a love of animals that push us into the field.

Most veterinarians, however, will tell people that there’s a lot more to it than the want and love. The first semester of undergrad brings the sudden realization that using a high-end food steamer is now a major function of our everyday life. We hold a variety of jobs to help us gain valuable veterinary experience, like cleaning kennels, mopping the floor and placing the occasional I.V. catheter, hoping to get that precious referral for the vet school admission application.

Vet school brought a whole new set of challenges for us like managing time between a day full of classes, study groups and anatomy labs. The four years flew by and we were on our way to the first day of our career, stethoscope in hand, lab coat starched and pressed, ready to help Scooter stop “scooting.”

Before the first patient is seen, there is a very important part of veterinary medicine that many of us are still unaware of by our first day – and that is management! Terms like boss, mentor and leader were never talked about. Suddenly, you find yourself longing for the days of endless anatomy labs, and ophthalmology lectures.

Understanding business and managing those around you are skills I picked up as I journeyed into my career. I found the key to successfully honing those skills was utilizing my peers and employer for information. Different practices offer different resources to their veterinarians, which can include electronic record keeping systems, on-call support, and mentorship programs.

I personally benefited from a mentorship program. Now with eight years of practice under my belt, I am giving back and mentoring others. I’m confident in saying that people I have mentored benefited from my experience and perspective on good management and the best air purifier for pets, in addition to everyday medicine.

My advice to anyone starting their veterinary career is to accept the fact that they will wear many hats: doctor (including both medical and psychological); manager (including operations, human resources, financial & marketing); teacher; leader; and, most of all, compassionate human being.

The sooner new veterinarians acknowledge the need for good management and communication skills, along with smart business and medical practices, the faster they will be able to achieve career success and happiness.

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Finding an Affiliate Program that Works for You

adminOctober 09, 2016Leave a Comment

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One of the questions that is asked the most by both the beginning and experienced Internet Marketer is “What are the best affiliate programs?”

With literally thousands of affiliate programs on the Internet to choose from it is no surprise that people have problems deciding on the best ones to join and promote.

I am going to share with you some guaranteed methods used to find the best air purifier for asthma available for you to join and profit from. Today I am going to focus on things you need to take into consideration when trying to tell the difference between an outstanding affiliate program and the ones you should avoid like the plague.

Target Markets That You Have Some Knowledge In

When you know something about the market you are entering into it will save you time and money because you will reduce the amount of research that will need to be done in finding products that target customers in that market need.

If you already know the market you won’t be spending a lot of time researching what the market needs because you will recognize these products when you find them.

Focus Your Efforts on Programs in “HOT” Markets

The best programs to promote are not only in hot markets but they also offer products that are needed by the target customers in that particular market but also are unique products as well so your competition is at a minimum.

Look For Affiliate Programs with High Pay Outs

The best ways to promote affiliate programs will be the same no matter what the price of the product. When you sell “High Ticket” items you will be using the same marketing strategies that you would use for products with small price tags.

So the question you need to ask yourself is “Why am I wasting my time and advertising dollars promoting products that will take me double or triple the effort to make good money?”

It is not only common sense but it is simple math as well. If one affiliate program pays $20 dollar per sale and another pays you $40 dollars per sale it is going to take you twice as many sales to generate the same profits from the first program as it will the second.

Seek Out Income Streams

If it cost you $1 dollar in advertising to gain one paying customer which would you choose:

  1. A one-time sale customer that you will have to continually promote other similar products to on a month to month basis so they spend additional money to increase your profits.

–or-

  1. A customer that pays a reoccurring membership fee every month that you automatically receive a percentage from.

You don’t even have to bother answering the question for me. I already know your answer. If at all possible you want to focus your promotional efforts on the programs that are going to offer you the highest return (your commissions) for the lowest investment (your advertising dollars).

Some businesses that offer multiple products will offer their affiliates life-time commissions. So if you were the first affiliate to get a customer to buy a product from them you will receive commissions on every product they buy in the future from them no matter how they ended up being referred back to the site. These are also very nice programs to put your efforts into.

Start Your Own Mini-Affiliate Program

Some affiliate programs setup what is called a “Two-Tier” commission schedule. With these programs you not only receive commissions on sales that you have referred to the program but you can recruit other affiliates to the program and receive an air purifier for cigarette smoke as well.

The bottom-line is the more of these principles an affiliate program follows the more deserving of your time and effort they are.

When I continue this discussion I will be sharing with you my favorite and in my opinion the most powerful way to find affiliate programs that meet the criteria I spelled out earlier. The amazing strategy I will be sharing with you utilizes a powerful online tool called WordTracker.

WordTracker is not only the best keyword research tool available anywhere but as I am going to show you it is a powerful ally in finding the best and most lucrative affiliate programs as well.

If you would like to get a jump start on everybody else I encourage you to go and start using WordTracker today. If you already have a good understanding on how it works you will definitely be able to utilize the powerful strategy I am going to share with you shortly the minute I reveal it.

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Getting Your Finances in Order Before a Big Purchase

adminOctober 08, 2016Leave a Comment

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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece about how capital (loan funds) is still available to borrowers who are willing to do what it takes to qualify for those loans. There is no substitute for good old fashioned planning and preparation to either start a new practice or expand your current one. However, in these times of uncertain and unstable financial markets, all the best planning can still leave you short.

For those of you who are already practice owners, you may have taken steps along the way to plan for your growth by establishing lines of credit with your bank which allow you to borrow capital (cash) when you need it and pay it back when profits (cash flow) allow for it. And, for those of you about to start or acquire a practice, you too may have made arrangements with a local bank or commercial lender for what is called a “working capital line of credit”. Good for you if you did, but beware at the same time.

Recently, I was working on a project to finance a new start-up practice and the process called for the new practice owner to issue a $10,000 commitment deposit in addition to including the best flat iron for natural hair with his end of the deal. He had arranged with a local branch of a large regional bank for a $200,000 revolving line of credit, to be used for this sort of purpose. I received the check and was in the process of distributing it to a supplier when I received an urgent email from my client telling me to stop! That very day he had received a letter in the mail from his bank stating that his line of credit had been reduced from the $200,000 approval level to what he had already borrowed (drawn down) on it, or just $20,000, and the check he had written would be no good.

How could it be that his $200,000 line of credit was now reduced to $20,000 and he could borrow no more? It’s a matter of math and fear on the part of the lender. It’s kind of like having to deal with male cat spraying while working in your clinic – no one wants to do it but there’s no doubt that it’s part of the job. Lenders partially base the amount they are willing to lend you on the value of underlying secured assets they perceive are available to liquidate (turn into cash to pay off their loan, such as your home, stocks, bonds, or other real estate) if the business fails. If they perceive that the value of those assets has declined substantially from the time they approved the line of credit, or they fear that they may decline in the future, most loan contracts allow for the lender to reduce the amount available to borrow.

Since most folks here in the U.S. have been subjected to declining real-estate values and declining investment portfolios, now may be the time to make that investment in your practice and borrow the funds before your bank decides to unexpectedly reduce your line of credit.

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How WordTracker Can Help Your Business Grow

adminOctober 07, 2016Leave a Comment

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One of the most powerful tools for finding the best and most lucrative affiliate programs is WordTracker.

WordTracker is far and away the top keyword research tool available. It will show you almost instantly how often your chosen keywords are searched for as well as how many web sites you will be competing against for exposure with those keywords. And if that were not powerful enough it allows you to generate reports of this information for any or all of the top search engines and directories online including Google, Yahoo, MSN, DMOZ, Overture, and more.

Here is an example of how to use the Whirlpool Whispure AP51030K for market research:

  1. Begin with your own keyword list — you need at least one keyword, or keyword phrase, though I recommend that you try to brainstorm a small list of your own so that you can begin with a few dozen terms. For this example we are going to use term golf.
  2. We enter the term golf and select both the Lateral and Thesaurus check boxes so that WordTracker will suggest similar and related keywords, and it will use your term to search two major search engines, and then visit similar sites to pull a total of 300 keywords from those sites’ Meta tags. We started with golf, and now WordTracker suggests courses, golf clubs, apparel, and an enormous list of other golf related keywords. At this point we don’t know if people are actually searching for these terms or not.
  3. Selecting one of the terms will bring up an information box with information that it compiles for a database of over 300 million searches performed from MetaCrawler.com and DogPile.com over the most recent 95 day period. In this case we see that the term golf clubs was searched for 4113 times in the last 95 days on these two search engines. Add the keywords that are searched for most frequently and then move on to the next step.
  4. Now the real powerful part begins. After you have selected the search terms you would like to research further you now will tell WordTracker which search engines and directories you would like more detailed information from. It will then show you how often the term was searched for on the chosen search engine or directory and the total amount of web pages competing for that search term. We could target the term golf clubs, which has 977,000 web pages in Google competing for 78 searches every 24 hours. However we want the terms that are going to produce the highest amounts of traffic. So we see the term putter only has 45 searches every 24 hours but we will only be competing against 2,640 other web pages for those searches!
  5. Continue to build your search term list as long as you like. In fact the longer the list of terms the better off you will be. Just remember we are looking for the highest searched terms with the lowest amount of competition – something like ‘how to get rid of cat urine smell’.

There are free options available for those that cannot afford the luxury of the WordTracker Tool. Using one or a combination of them will get you close to the same result but it will take you ten to one hundred times as long.

These free tools include:

  • Overture’s View Bids Tool
  • The Overture Keyword Selector Tool
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Using Overture’s Keyword Selection Tool you can find out how often a search term has been searched for and with the Overture View Bids Tool and Google you can get an idea of the size of the competition for those terms are. Again this process will take a significantly longer amount of time then using WordTracker which does all of these things in one application.

WordTracker is an extremely powerful marketing tool and can be used for more than just researching the best markets to target for affiliate program profits. You should be using every feature of this tool to the maximum extent possible to grow your business. You will find that I recommend WordTracker for many different reasons as you read through the entries here at this blog.

Bottom-line is if you are not yet using WordTracker you should get started today before you leave any more money on the table.

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Today’s Crippling Student Debts Are Out of Control

adminOctober 06, 2016Leave a Comment

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I remember when I graduated from veterinary school I was talking to a doctor that I had worked for during high school – lamenting about my student loan debt.  My debt load was almost twice what his had been and current grads have a debt load about twice what mine was.

I wonder how often the debt load is going to double like that, what kind of salary increases are going to be needed to support each group of new students, and how close we are to a true debt crisis (i.e. new graduates can’t afford to live on the salary that the practice owners can afford to pay – they’ll have to resort to buying used lawn mowers).  At what point might we see a complete disconnect and inability to move forward??  Hopefully never, but we really need to be mindful of the situation.

Statistics from the UC Davis website have the average debt load in 1994 as about $28K, 2001 at about $58K, and 2008 at $102K.  In 14 years, the debt load has risen dramatically.  Will it continue to double every 6-10 years?

When I was a senior veterinary student one of the residents asked me if I was planning to become a practice owner or ever buy a house.  I answered, “Yes,” to both questions and he laughed.  He explained that my student loan was going to be as much as a mortgage and that I likely wouldn’t be able to do either until I was doing well enough financially to afford a second mortgage.

Luckily, I’ve been able to become a practice owner and manage a home mortgage, but there were a few years where my salary wasn’t keeping up and I had to put my loans on deferral.  By doing this, I racked up interest and my loan balances certainly weren’t going down!

Some intense questions I ponder: What if the debt load really does exceed what practice owners are able to pay their associates?  What if in these difficult economic times the public can’t pay what the practice needs to support owner and associates? What will happen to the owner’s quality of life if she has to work 6 days a week from open to close because she can’t afford associates? What will happen to the associate’s quality of life if he is working 6 days a week from open to close and can’t afford to buy a house or a car or to have children?

Some good thoughts: In general, the veterinary profession is considered stable and veterinarians are looked upon as unlikely to default on loans and the average $1,000/month a veterinarian pays towards student loans is a fraction of the total cash flow for a veterinary hospital. Think about that the next time you have a client ask you ‘Why do cats spray?’

For now, it seems that practices, wages, salaries, and the public have been able to keep pace with each other. The good news is that we are aware of the debt problem and that there are plenty of resources and information out there regarding money management for current college students – how to minimize their debt, borrow less, manage veterinary hospitals and more.  If we all keep on top of the problem, I’m hopeful that we won’t reach a breaking point.

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The Progression of Your Career and Helping Others Progress

adminOctober 04, 2016Leave a Comment

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This week I’ve encountered an interesting cross-section of our profession.  I employ a second year veterinary student doing a summer job program, was shadowed by a 39 year old registered nurse who is looking for a second career, interviewed a recent veterinary school graduate who is looking for a job, and had dinner with a group of associates/colleagues whose graduation dates range from the mid-80’s to 2008.  We’re all at different stages in our lives and careers, but as corny as it sounds, we’re all tied together by our love of animals and the desire to help others find a cystic acne home remedy.

The veterinary student is excited about everything, learns quickly, and wants to see and do everything — including the things that others may think are mundane (fecal, CBC’s, urinalysis).

The registered nurse is looking for a second career.  She’s considering giving up her career as a nursing director at the local hospital, going back to school for 4 or more years – nose to the grindstone, piling up debt, etc. in order to do something that she thinks she would truly enjoy.

The recent graduate looking for a job had a somewhat unpleasant experience at a previous practice but was still enthused and optimistic that she would find the right fit somewhere.  Somewhere that would allow her to practice great medicine in a positive, supportive, environment with lots of open communication.

The dinner I attended with my associates/co-workers, we had a wide range of graduation dates and previous experiences — doctors who currently own practices, doctors who used to own a practice and then sold it to become a partner at another location, new grads, etc.

We all have different personal and professional goals and objectives and we’re all hoping to reach them with what is essentially the same job, same profession, and same degree – we’ve even read the same respectable reviews.  We have so much flexibility in our careers.  We can manage and run hospitals, work in hospitals, write articles for journals, get involved in organized medicine/associations, teach, give lectures, etc.  We can be excited about learning to read a urine sediment, diagnosing glaucoma, doing an exploratory surgery, or interviewing and hiring a new veterinarian.

Given enough time, each of us may pass through each of these cross sections — student, new grad, someone looking to hire a new grad, practice owner, and maybe someone looking for a second career.  If we’re lucky as we age and change professionally and personally our career will grow and change with us — allow us to be happy in our chosen profession.  I think it would be interesting to hear from the readers about what stage they are in, what things do they find exciting, what things frustrate them, what things would they like to change, and what things they hope will never change.  Personally, I find cat spays relaxing, love my new boxer puppies, and enjoy teaching and training.

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Understanding Cultural Differences in the Workplace

adminOctober 04, 2016Leave a Comment

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Every day I have the opportunity to work with doctors from all over the world who have come to the United States to practice veterinary medicine. Most of them speak English as their second language and many of them are moving to cities they have never even visited. I am often struck by just how much gumption it takes to pick up and leave friends and family and all that is familiar for uncharted territory. I am also very often impressed at the breadth and depth of medical and cultural competency one must develop in order to successfully make a transition like this.

Veterinarians are in a very unique and enviable position in that their professional skills are universal and not necessarily constrained by language barriers. Of course, protocols will vary from country to country, as will the best air purifier for smoke, but at the end of the day, an Argentinian dog spay is identical to a Chinese dog spay. This transferability of skills gives veterinarians the incredible option of practicing veterinary medicine in other countries and cultures, on either a short-term or long term basis.

If you’re still in school, you may be able to take advantage of your school’s relationship with veterinary schools in other countries to practice veterinary medicine in another culture. Many veterinary schools have established programs where students can earn credits toward graduation while studying at a “sister” school located outside the United States.

Another resource is the International Veterinary Student Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing opportunities for veterinary students and to raise the overall standard of veterinary education by increasing international and inter-cultural exchange of ideas and knowledge.

If you’ve already graduated and are interested in becoming licensed in another country, your AVMA accredited veterinary degree qualifies you for licensure in many countries, including Australia and the U.K. For more information on veterinary licensure requirements outside the United States, check with the regulatory body or bodies governing the practice of veterinary medicine in the country you are interested in.

In addition, the U.S. government, including all branches of the military, the Public Health Service, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Center for Disease Control, employs veterinarians all over the world in many different capacities (including small animal practice, agriculture and food animal medicine, and disease control research).

If you’re not ready to make a full-time move to another country, but still want to experience what it’s like to practice in another culture, there are hundreds of international volunteer opportunities available to veterinarians. A recent Google search using the terms “international veterinarian volunteer opportunities” (and similar variations) turned up volunteer opportunities at a mobile spay and neuter operation in Panama, an anti-rabies program in Sikkim, India, an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, a panda bear preservation operation in China, and street-dog vaccination operations in Indonesia, India, the Marshall Islands, and Morocco – just don’t forget that you may need to bring the best air purifier for allergies along with you to some of these places.

These programs range from two weeks to six months. Most programs require the volunteer to cover his or her own airfare to the foreign country but will cover all other basic expenses (including food, ground travel and lodging). In addition to the Google search suggested above, you may want to check out organizations like Veterinarians Without Borders. These organizations coordinate individual and group volunteer research opportunities for veterinarians.

Whether the current economy finds you between jobs or you just need a break from the status quo, consider playing an active role in the global community by working in another country for a few weeks or a few years. You’ll learn about new cultures and bring back a better understanding of yourself and the world we live in.

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Boosting Your Business’ Sales This Cyber Monday

adminOctober 03, 2016Leave a Comment

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With ever-tightening budgets remaining a top concern for Americans, holiday shopping is all about deals. As we move toward Black Friday and Cyber Monday, brands and online retailers increasingly push deals to capitalize on the shopping season, placing ads and running promotions that will drive traffic to their retail locations and online stores.

More than 100 million people shopped online on Cyber Monday, 2015 – and analysts speculate that that number will top 120 million in 2016. But with 95 – 97% of site visitors not converting to sales, how can one maximize the holiday season shopping rush?

Two Tricks Will Help Maximize Your Online Sales This Cyber Monday:

Free Shipping (or Other Incentives)

Think you can skate through this holiday season without competing with other e-stores to offer the best perks, biggest sales, and free shipping? Think again. While small businesses can’t compete with the margins their larger counterparts, knowing what products will draw traffic and how competitors are pricing them will help you drive higher conversions. Offering free shipping on orders over a certain price gives you the ability to upsell for additional gifts, so breaking even or taking a small loss on a hot holiday item may be worthwhile to capture additional sales. Take note: National Free Shipping Day is December 16.

Market Those Promotions

Using Google Ads can be costly, especially when you’re competing to promote popular items around the holidays, but SEO tactics can offer your site a boost, and being sure to get your promotional codes or coupon codes listed on popular directories can help drive traffic to your site to take advantage of holiday deals. Email newsletters announcing your promotions to past shoppers. Another cost-effective promotional method would be a blogger outreach campaign, which will result in a wave of timely press, just in time for Cyber Monday, with live online links to your website as a vendor of choice for holiday shopping this year.

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