SEC on Blogging - It's a Open Blogger's World - CEOs Blog More!

According to BNET, the new SC regulations on Blogging clears it all up for corporate bloggers. Let’s say you’re the CEO of a company. A competitor or disgruntled ex-employee posts nasty and inaccurate information on a blog that your company website operates. Are you under any regulatory obligation to correct it?

No, you are not. At least that’s what the staff of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission said it is recommending today in a draft of new rules designed to encourage more corporate use of websites to disclose required information.

What’s more, the new rules could do much to clear up confusion over meeting the Full Disclosure (FD) rules of the SEC regarding Internet use.

At an SEC meeting today where the rules won a 4-0 vote to go to the next level, new measures were explained that could allow companies to use their websites and blogs to meet requirements under the FD rules. Under certain conditions, such electronic media can be the sole means of disclosure.

A few other measures in the proposal:

* The information on the blog or company Web page does not have to be in “a format comparable to paper-based information” unless the SEC explicitly requires it.
* Hyperlinks to other sites can be used provided that the company explain their relevance.
* Information disclosed on the Web is not generally subject to under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (of course, the company must still follow SOX for other forms of financial disclosure and attestation.).
* Companies are responsible for what they put out on their Web pages or blogs but are under no obligation to correct inaccurate or misleading information that outsiders post.

SEC Chairman Christopher Cox says he sees the new Web-based rules as a way to make for more efficient and more creative ways to inform potential investors about a firm. Cox argues that using the Web can cut disclosure costs for companies while improving their communication with shareholders.

Indeed, some tech-oriented CEOs, such as Jonathan Schwartz of Sun Microsystems, have complained that they want to communicate with investors and customers on blogs but feel they have to undergo tedious consultations with their lawyers because SEC guidance is so unclear.

Maybe this new round of rules will clear up those concerns. For more info, check a story by IrWebreport and an SEC statement. Full issuance of the rules may occur in about six months.

Categories: Technology, Regulation

Tags: Web, SEC, Blog, Rule, Blogging, Channel Management, Internet, Marketing, Peter Galuszka

Scott Ragsdale's - Black Gucci Loafer - Selling the Benefits and Brand Power

I was reading Scott Ragsdale’s blog, CEO of naseba, the entry on Black Gucci Loafer, on how to sell people on the benefits and make them buy a service or product at a premium. I am very impressed by the way he gives his sales pitch to motivate the sales team to sell more. Here is a small story from my experience to re-enforce the fact on what Scott has written.

In my previous job at one of the largest India IT MNCs, I was the marketing manager and I was responsible for launching a new Software Product in the SME market in India. India is a very price sensitive market and people are not ready to pay big amounts. However, if sold well on the concept and brand, people do buy it.

So after launching the product and doing marketing activities, I launched a special offer of 50% off on the initial price. Obviously, the price was marked up according to competitor’s price and there was an actual profit margin kept. In the first 2 weeks none of the sales guys sold it. They all thought it’s an expensive product and won’t sell.

I got pissed off and I asked my manager, that I am going to prove them wrong and sell it at a higher margin + I am going to get an annual maintenance contract (25% of the actual cost of product) also signed in a month’s time.

Within 1 week of scanning the market I found 2 potential opportunities and I went and pitched and showed the product demo and closed the deal much higher than the actual price and also sold the AMC for 25% of the product cost.

My simple pitch was that it is exclusive as the service provided is unmatchable and the convenience that the hospital (buying it) is much higher than any of the cheap competitor’s product. The brand name and the over all packaging along with the smooth sales pitch highlighting the benefits made me sell and I won the “Operation Market Storm – BDM of the Month”.

This is the power of branding, sales and individual’s ability all put together to build a strong sales organization.

Bill Gates | Steve Jobs | Larry Ellison | Scott Ragsdale up for sale

With a new application on Facebook you can put your friends for sale. Knowing that a large number of CEOs of large companies are on facebook, I can just imagine the fun when Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison and Scott Ragsdale go on sale.

It would be interesting to see if the CEOs are in a common network and one CEO puts up another CEO for sale. So imagine Scott Ragsdale CEO of naseba, puts up Bill gates for sale and Steve Jobs buys bill gates for $574 (a figure which I noticed at which one of my friends bought a friend).

So does that mean Steve can make Bill work for Apple? May be this application was launched keeping in mind Bill’s retirement plans.

So next time keep an eye, you never know you be able to buy Geroge bush :)

Top 100 CEO Blogs | Sales Motivation Capsule

http://www.scottragsdale.com/

"Inspiration" "Motivation" Growth path ... yes this all is what you would get while you go thorugh my CEOs blog.

I would consider my CEOs blog among the TOP 100 CEO Blogs in the world. A must read for all Sales guys and keep themselves motivated Each Day, Every Day. Scott is one of those people who can be called epitome of "Doing things as much as saying" and as he says "if it was easy" ... anybody could have done it ... not everyone can make it happen.

A few people in this world actually "Make It Happen" and Scott is my inspiration and my motivation for making it happen.

Scott's passion for adventure sports made him cross the deserts in a marathon race marathon-des-sables-southern-morocco ... while I was reading this entry, I was just getting more passionate about what I do and it motivated me to "DO" more...

Oh by the way if you were wondering what made me get a new look ... you know now my motivation now...

Will be back soon.