Geoffery James author of over 7 books has recently blogged on BNet, sharing one of the Worst Sales Letter he has seen. Here is the letter which he got:
The bracketed numbers refer to comments below:
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. James
During the past few months, I have completed an intensive training program for real estate professionals through the Century 21 learning system. [1] With this recent training and my experience as a full service agent, I feel quite confident in my ability to help buyers and sellers with their real estate needs. [2]
Century 21 is one of the best real estate firms in the area due to the many educational programs promoting current market strategies[3], as well as many years of experience within the real estate community.[4] In addition, we provide:
- Outstanding service to all clients.[5]
- Market data that is always changing.[6]
- Weekly updates for clients listing there homes.[7]
- A wide variety of buying and selling tools.[8]
It is great working with a company that has so much to offer their clients.[9] If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling [10] property feel free to give out my name or business card [11] and I will do everything I can to meet their real estate needs.[12]
Sincerely,"
His comments:
[1] OK, you’re fresh out of school. So why would I want to work with you?
[2] That’s nice. Unfortunately, you’ve said absolutely nothing to make me feel confident in you.
[3] Why do I get the impression that some marketing guy wrote this as boilerplate?
[4] Experience doing what? Sending out awkward direct mail pieces? And compared to whom?
[5] Outstanding in what way? Outstandingly bad? And by how much? And where’s the proof?
[6] Huh? Does this mean that the data is getting more accurate or less accurate or what?
[7] And that’s important because…? And what’s with the typo?
[8] Sounds like a hardware store. Why would I care? What do the tools do?
[9] Glad you like it. Why should I care? What’s with the grammatical error?
[10] Trying to address two different markets weakens the entire pitch.
[11] At this point it starts sounding positively desperate.
[12] Why would I risk my friendships for somebody I don’t know?
What’s really wretched is that the letter was sent first class mail to individual families, on heavy stock paper. This means that each piece cost somebody — hopefully not the obviously hapless agent — at least half a buck per letter. I’d be surprised if the guy gets so much as a nibble. Pitiful. Truly pitiful.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
60% of Wives in US Crave for more Sex
TITLE or Subject Lines can make or break it!
Apology for using that subject line on a marketing, communication and technology blog, I just couldn't resist it to make my point! Get a Title that baffles people!
For obvious reasons if you are reading this, you were not interested in any book or Email Marketing, but, to know more about the decreasing libido in US men. I do not blame you, it's the title that can make or break the thing sometimes.
1) A recent example: "37 Mating Techniques" , one of my ol' friend bought this book. Obviously she was trying to lay her hands on something new which she can try out. And just out of embarrasment, she didn't bother to open the book to read what's inside. When she reached home, jump-opened the book, just to find out it was a book on chess!
2) Help for Sex starved Wives, I was reading this report on TIME.com with the Title "Help for SEX starved wives" by Michele Weiner Davis shattering the myth of men not getting enough sex. According to her survey with redbook where 1000 wives in US responded with 60% of them reported that they wanted at least as much, if not more, sex than their husbands. The Sex-Starved Wife: What to Do When He's Lost Desire (Simon & Schuster) was the new book that she is trying to promote!
3) More Sex please we are French, while on the other hand TIME reported in France the sexuality has increased in France. According to the new 600-page "Study of Sexuality in France," commissioned by France's National Research Agency on AIDS, both the number of partners and diversity of sexual activity has significantly increased in France in the last decade. Only 3.5% of women aged 18-35 years now say they are sexually abstinent. The title is just another example of how to promote your report with a Title that rocks!
Apology for using that subject line on a marketing, communication and technology blog, I just couldn't resist it to make my point! Get a Title that baffles people!
For obvious reasons if you are reading this, you were not interested in any book or Email Marketing, but, to know more about the decreasing libido in US men. I do not blame you, it's the title that can make or break the thing sometimes.
1) A recent example: "37 Mating Techniques" , one of my ol' friend bought this book. Obviously she was trying to lay her hands on something new which she can try out. And just out of embarrasment, she didn't bother to open the book to read what's inside. When she reached home, jump-opened the book, just to find out it was a book on chess!
2) Help for Sex starved Wives, I was reading this report on TIME.com with the Title "Help for SEX starved wives" by Michele Weiner Davis shattering the myth of men not getting enough sex. According to her survey with redbook where 1000 wives in US responded with 60% of them reported that they wanted at least as much, if not more, sex than their husbands. The Sex-Starved Wife: What to Do When He's Lost Desire (Simon & Schuster) was the new book that she is trying to promote!
3) More Sex please we are French, while on the other hand TIME reported in France the sexuality has increased in France. According to the new 600-page "Study of Sexuality in France," commissioned by France's National Research Agency on AIDS, both the number of partners and diversity of sexual activity has significantly increased in France in the last decade. Only 3.5% of women aged 18-35 years now say they are sexually abstinent. The title is just another example of how to promote your report with a Title that rocks!
Innovative Apple iPhone - Half Baked PR and Marketing Genius
I do not doubt the innovation genius behind Apple’s success. However, iphone was launched half baked and the PR and Marketing departments at Apple did the trick.
Apple’s strong brand has been able to drive the initial sales in US and they were able to sell millions. However, tech geeks that follow the mobile markets did not approve of the technical prowess of iPhone. There are 10 times better phones available in market than iPhone (eg LG Viewty) and Apple treated the customers shoddily by introducing the iPhone half baked with low memory options initially and no 3G.
For obvious reasons people in countries like Europe haven’t accepted the “growing” iPhone and UK’s Sunday Times reported potential losses to the stock owners as people are not buying it.
Probably, Steve Jobs did a brilliant job in US while launching it and the PR and marketing teams created a huge hype around the launch of iPhone. The blogs were buzzing, videos were roaming across youtube, newspapers online and offline were talking, Steve himself gave a brilliant on stage launch pitch. Even investors, analysts, technical specialists everyone was kept in the good books.
And then, suddenly the pretty looking, sturdy, touch based gadget which can take pictures, organize and play music and make phone calls too, was launched. Oh within 2 months of launch the prices were slashed along with a special apology from Steve. And then another version with higher memory option was launched and now there is news on anvil that the 3G version would be launched as the analysts were unhappy with 3G missing.
iPhone’s success in US is a clear success story of what PR and Marketing can achieve for you even when your product might not be the best in the industry!
Apple’s strong brand has been able to drive the initial sales in US and they were able to sell millions. However, tech geeks that follow the mobile markets did not approve of the technical prowess of iPhone. There are 10 times better phones available in market than iPhone (eg LG Viewty) and Apple treated the customers shoddily by introducing the iPhone half baked with low memory options initially and no 3G.
For obvious reasons people in countries like Europe haven’t accepted the “growing” iPhone and UK’s Sunday Times reported potential losses to the stock owners as people are not buying it.
Probably, Steve Jobs did a brilliant job in US while launching it and the PR and marketing teams created a huge hype around the launch of iPhone. The blogs were buzzing, videos were roaming across youtube, newspapers online and offline were talking, Steve himself gave a brilliant on stage launch pitch. Even investors, analysts, technical specialists everyone was kept in the good books.
And then, suddenly the pretty looking, sturdy, touch based gadget which can take pictures, organize and play music and make phone calls too, was launched. Oh within 2 months of launch the prices were slashed along with a special apology from Steve. And then another version with higher memory option was launched and now there is news on anvil that the 3G version would be launched as the analysts were unhappy with 3G missing.
iPhone’s success in US is a clear success story of what PR and Marketing can achieve for you even when your product might not be the best in the industry!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
CIO Strategies India Awards 2008 - Call for nominations
CIO India Awards 2008 - Call for nominations
Event Website: http://www.ciostrategiesin.com/
Date: 9th - 10th June 2008
Venue: The Grand Hyatt, Mumbai
CIO India Awards 2008 ceremony is proud to be held in conjunction with the 2nd Annual CIO Strategies India Forum. The Awards ceremony will honour India's Leading CIO’s through Four Categories.
New Comer Award: This award should honor a young and up coming individual who has moved swiftly through the ranks to CIO. He/She must possess strong leadership qualities and above all must be fresh and innovative.
Innovation Award: This individual needs to be a pioneer and a strong leader. He/She must be a risk taker, someone who is prepared to innovate when everyone else would rather follow the norm. Such innovation should be demonstrated by a particular instance or many instances when he/she has saved or made his/her company money through the innovative use of IT.
Leadership Award: The Leadership Award will be earned by the person who is not only an IT Leader and CIO but someone who leads the entire company. He/ She has truly merged business and IT and considers the bottom-line when implementing various IT infrastructures. This individual must be the ultimate leader in all facets of his industry and must add value to his business.
Lifetime Achievement Award: The unofficial ‘TOP’ Award of the evening - this award will honor an individual who has had a long, illustrious career as a CIO and IT Leader. His/her career should speak for itself through various accolades received, successful projects implemented and respect gained by his fellow CIO’s. He/she must possess exceptional leadership skills illustrated by foresight, innovation and a pioneering attitude that encompasses an overall ideal that he/she has built through his/her career as an IT and business professional.
Download the nomination form here...
Top Speakers at CIO Strategies India Forum 2008
Chandershekhar Nene,Vice President & IT Head,Kingfisher Airlines
Nene Probir Mitra,IT Head CIO,TATA Motors
Arvind Tawde,CIO,Mahindra & Mahindra
Vijay Mehra,Group CIO,Essar Group
Ishwar Jha,CEO,Digital Media Convergence
Satish Naralkar,CEO,NSE IT
Daya Prakash,IT Head,LG Electronics India
Vijay Sethi,Vice President / IT Head,Hero Honda Motors
Learn More at CIO Strategies India Forum website or email: enquiries@naseba.com.
Event Produced by : www.naseba.com
CIO Strategies India 2008 - CIO India Awards
India's Most Prestigious CIO Event of the Year
Event Name: CIO Strategies India 2008
Website: www.ciostrategiesin.com
Date: 9th - 10th June 2008
Venue: Grand Hyatt, Mumbai
This June, CIO of the Year 2008, the most prestigious CIO awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with 2nd Annual CIO Strategies Forum, India's premier CIO Forum. The awards ceremony will be highly covered by prestigious media like TIME Magazine, Business Wire India, NDTV Profit, Smart Techie, Outsource 2 India. The awards nomination form can be downloaded online here and registration request is available online here.
Quick Links
•Event website
•Event White Paper
•Registration Enquiry
•Event Agenda
The CIO Strategies Forum Format
•High level workshops
•Ultimate Networking Opportunities
•Interactivity and Problem Solving
•Educational Conference Agenda
Learn more about the event format here.
Top Speakers Include
•Chandrashekar Nene, VP IT, Kingfisher
•Vijay Mehra, Group CIO, Essar Group
•Daya Prakash, IT Head LG
•Probir Mitra, CIO, Tata Motors
•Ishwar Jha, CEO, Digital Media Convergence, Essel Group
•Ashwini Sharma, Former CIO, State Bank of India
•Arwind Tawde, CIO Mahindra and Mahindra
•Satish Naralkar, CEO, NSE IT
•Vijay Sethi, VP IT, Hero Honda
More Speakers and Topics, Event Partners and Sponsors
For more information, please contact: Charan Varghese, Project Director
email: enquiries@naseba.com Tel: +91 80 30280562 - fax: + 91 80 30280555
Event produced by www.naseba.com
Avoiding Email Marketing Blunders - Refer to your checklist
Email marketing is not about just sending out emails. This is the art and science of building long term relations and driving revenue for the organization. In today's fast changing world of e-mail marketing, an for attention to details along with an reasoning based attitude is necessary to avoid embarrassment and lost revenue opportunities for the sender.
Here is Karen Gedney's article on email checklist, which I read last year and I must say it's a very good read for email marketers.
On a day to day basis, when we keep doing the same job, we feel that we know it all. Though when you start exploring it more, is when you understand that there is so much more to it. The day we start believing that we know it all is the day you stop learning more and the moment you stop learning or you lose the will to learn more, you are nothing more than a dead man.
As Scott Ragsdale pointed out in his blog "Jack Murphy Syndrome", it's very easy to fall in trap of this syndrome and become incomplacent. But people who are consistent and committed and who want to learn more are the ones who would succeed. Not just in this form of marketing, however, in their lives.
Reading, Learning More and following industry trends is as important as your breakfast and missing it would make you slack physically or mentally. As I point out sometimes, Sharpening the Saw (7 Habits of Highly Effective People), is one of the most important activities and its not just physical fitness but also mental fitness what matters!
Here is Karen Gedney's article on email checklist, which I read last year and I must say it's a very good read for email marketers.
On a day to day basis, when we keep doing the same job, we feel that we know it all. Though when you start exploring it more, is when you understand that there is so much more to it. The day we start believing that we know it all is the day you stop learning more and the moment you stop learning or you lose the will to learn more, you are nothing more than a dead man.
As Scott Ragsdale pointed out in his blog "Jack Murphy Syndrome", it's very easy to fall in trap of this syndrome and become incomplacent. But people who are consistent and committed and who want to learn more are the ones who would succeed. Not just in this form of marketing, however, in their lives.
Reading, Learning More and following industry trends is as important as your breakfast and missing it would make you slack physically or mentally. As I point out sometimes, Sharpening the Saw (7 Habits of Highly Effective People), is one of the most important activities and its not just physical fitness but also mental fitness what matters!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Top Tips in Business Dressing for Men and Women!
What Makes an Organization’s Culture – Business Attire?
So the client rejected the proposal? You had a better service offering than the competitor? Still you lost it? Well you might want to look at OverDress Syndrome or PoorDress Syndrome of your company’s employees.
As simple as it sounds, has its own long lasting consequence. What kind of a organizational culture are you building? Casual or Professional?
Many companies struggle with the Business Attires in their organizations because they have people who are in customer facing role and some employees who are not. It would be anyone’s guess, every company has the same set-up. Obviously there will be some people who will not be in customer facing roles. Can this be taken as an excuse to let go a professional corporate culture and not to have Smart Dressing sense in the company?
The Importance of Proper Attire
Making the best possible impression is paramount. First impressions are made within the first 5 minutes of meeting someone. In other words, if you want to be taken seriously, dress appropriately.
OverDress Syndrome – Many organizations cater to government agencies, research labs etc. When a sales professional from organizations selling some stuff walks into such an organization where the government considers eating peanuts as the main course food and tries to match salaries accordingly, you do not expect flashy business suits. But people are very normally dressed. Though they are sharp in their own way! So if the sales guys walk-in all dressed up, in most probability you might just intimidate the person. And your sales impression right from the 1st meet is going to be “Expensive”.
PoorDress Syndrome – So you were visiting a another organization whose vision is to deliver high quality with world’s best technology to customers or may be the best financial asset management services etc and you went dressed shabbily or in a sloppy manner. You just killed your chance of getting your way across the customer’s heart, why? Coz, you didn’t even match the personality of the organization, personally, how will you match the same with your product or service?
So what should you do?
It’s simple, Learn the Customer's Dress Style
• Looking professional promises you a good first impression. Knowing what's expected takes a little research, a shopping trip, and a full-length mirror!
• Research the culture of the employer. A more conservative employer, e.g. accounting, finance, law, etc., will require more conservative dress.
• Look at the brochures, web sites, and employees of the organization to guide your dress style. What style of clothes is being worn by the people who work there? What image are they projecting with their clothing?
• Trust your instinct when picking your business attire. If you have to ask the question, "Can I wear this?" the answer should always be "no."
• Err on the conservative side when in doubt about what to wear.
• Avoid extremes: heels too high, skirts too short, blouses too low cut, ties or patterns too loud.
• Ask experts at a clothing store about the fit of your suit. You don't want it too loose or too tight.
Cost Vs Quality debate?
You are not expected to be able to afford the same clothing as a corporate CEO. However, everything should be clean, well pressed, and not show wear. Even the nicest khakis after 100 washings may not be your best choice for a reception. Carefully inspect new clothes for tags, and all clothes for dangling threads, etc.
Please someone explain this to me…BUSINESS vs. BUSINESS CASUAL ATTIRE
What is business attire? It is the written or unwritten dress code of an organization. Business attire suggests a formal, conservative dress style. Attention to detail, impeccable grooming, and a well-fitted suit are a must to make a lasting good impression. Business casual is a small step down from the formal business attire, but still business-like, appropriate and presentable in a place of business. Remember that the definition business casual attire should never be interpreted as casual.
Men's Business Attire
The Suit
• Choose suits neutral in color - charcoal, navy, gray, black, conservative stripes all work.
• The pant leg should touch the front of the shoe and fall just above the heel in the back.
• Pants can either have cuffs or not.
• The fabric of the suit should be gabardine or wool. Avoid cotton blends as they wrinkle.
• The suit jacket should be buttoned while standing and unbuttoned to sit. Do not button the bottom button of a three or two-piece suit.
The Dress Shirt
• If possible, have your shirt professionally laundered.
• Always wear a long sleeve shirt.
• The shirt's sleeve should extend beyond the suit jacket sleeves by 1/2 inch.
• Always wear an undershirt, as they give the appearance of a finished look; undershirt should be solid white.
The Tie
• Wear a conservative tie with subtle patterns or solid colors.
• Tie your tie to fall in the middle of your belt.
Socks, Shoes and Belt
• Wing tips or lace up conservative shoes are the most appropriate. Loafers can be used for business casual.
• Shoe color should match your suit or be of a darker color.
• Shoes should be in good condition and polished.
• Socks should match the color of your suit and cover your calves.
• Belts should be in good condition and match the color of your shoes.
Accessories
• Men should limit accessories/jewelry to 3 pieces.
• Accessories include watch, ring, handkerchief, lapel pins, cuff links, and tie tacks.
• Avoid bracelets, necklaces, and visible piercings.
Grooming
• Facial hair should be neatly trimmed (moustache, sideburns).
• Hair should be neat.
• Heavy cologne should be avoided. Soap and deodorant will allow people to remember you- not your scent.
• Nails should be clean and manicured(it's not gay).
Men – Business Casual Attire
• A sports coat creates a pulled together look in a business casual environment and eliminates the need for a tie. Pair up the sports coat with khakis or dark pants.
• Traditional dress slacks, khakis, Dockers, corduroys, wool flannel and linen slacks are appropriate with or without a blazer. Be sure to press them beforehand.
• Casual button-down oxford shirts are a great alternative to dress shirts, with or without a tie. Choose basic white, chambray or pinstripe.
• Oxfords and loafers in brown or black are a good match for khakis or corduroys.
Women's Business Attire
The Suit
• Choose a classic suit avoiding trendy suit styles.
• A skirt suit or pantsuit is considered appropriate attire.
• Skirt hemlines should be knee length or longer. Miniskirts are not appropriate.
• Color does not have to be limited to dark colors.
• Make sure the suit flatters your figure and is a good fit, not too tight or too loose.
• Jacket sleeves should fall 1/2 inch below your wrist.
The Blouse
• Blouses should be updated, but neither low cut nor revealing.
• Do not wear a camisole or see through blouse. (Your company's product/service should get the attention, not you!)
• Blouse should include sleeves.
Shoes and Hose
• Shoes should be pumps, flats or sling backs, do not wear shoes with open toes.
• Shoe color should be darker than your suit.
• Heels should be 1-2 inches; higher heels should be saved for after hours.
• Hosiery should be worn with a skirt to match your skin tone or suit.
Accessories
• Jewelry should be kept minimal and conservative.
Make-up and Grooming
• Makeup should be natural looking. People want to remember you, not your eye shadow.
• Nails should be clean and manicured.
• Nail polish and lip color should not be too trendy or bright.
• Hair should be clean, neat in appearance.
• Perfume should be applied very lightly if at all. A good soap and antiperspirant will allow people to remember you not your scent.
Women – Business Casual Attire
• Pantsuits are a wise choice for a business casual event.
• A classic sheath paired with a cardigan or a blazer in the same fabric and color is a good choice.
• Crisp, cotton shirts added to dress pants, khakis, or skirts make a casual outfit.
• Cardigan twin sets are also an easy way to present a more casual look while still looking professional.
• Jewelry, scarves and other accessories will add a polished finish to an outfit. Remember though, "less is more."
• Shoes should still be well-made and close-toed - no extremes. Flats are appropriate, platform slides are not.
• Hose are not essential for business casual, but recommended for shorter skirts.
• Knee highs or trouser socks are suggested with pants.
ALL - Unacceptable Attire
• Jeans or denim pants, shorts
• Leggings/stretch/stirrup/sweat pants, spandex or other form fitting pants
• Athletic shoes, hiking boots, sandals, slides or flip flops
• Flannel shirts or T-shirts
• Hats/caps
Checklist for Putting it All Together
Regardless of the occasion, dressing appropriately is one of the easiest ways to impress the potential employer.
ô€€¹ Hair: Should be clean and neat.
ô€€¹ Shoes: Should be in polished condition. Make sure heels are not worn.
ô€€¹ Details: No missing buttons, no lint; and don’t forget to remove external tags and tacking stitches from new clothes.
ô€€¹ Hands: Clean fingernails.
ô€€¹ Fit: Clothes should be clean, neatly pressed, and fit properly, neither tight nor baggy.
ô€€¹ Smell: Perfume or cologne should be used sparingly or not at all. No odors on clothes. Don't smell like smoke.
Trust your instinct when picking your business attire.
If you have to ask the question, "Can I wear this?" the answer should always be "no."
So the client rejected the proposal? You had a better service offering than the competitor? Still you lost it? Well you might want to look at OverDress Syndrome or PoorDress Syndrome of your company’s employees.
As simple as it sounds, has its own long lasting consequence. What kind of a organizational culture are you building? Casual or Professional?
Many companies struggle with the Business Attires in their organizations because they have people who are in customer facing role and some employees who are not. It would be anyone’s guess, every company has the same set-up. Obviously there will be some people who will not be in customer facing roles. Can this be taken as an excuse to let go a professional corporate culture and not to have Smart Dressing sense in the company?
The Importance of Proper Attire
Making the best possible impression is paramount. First impressions are made within the first 5 minutes of meeting someone. In other words, if you want to be taken seriously, dress appropriately.
OverDress Syndrome – Many organizations cater to government agencies, research labs etc. When a sales professional from organizations selling some stuff walks into such an organization where the government considers eating peanuts as the main course food and tries to match salaries accordingly, you do not expect flashy business suits. But people are very normally dressed. Though they are sharp in their own way! So if the sales guys walk-in all dressed up, in most probability you might just intimidate the person. And your sales impression right from the 1st meet is going to be “Expensive”.
PoorDress Syndrome – So you were visiting a another organization whose vision is to deliver high quality with world’s best technology to customers or may be the best financial asset management services etc and you went dressed shabbily or in a sloppy manner. You just killed your chance of getting your way across the customer’s heart, why? Coz, you didn’t even match the personality of the organization, personally, how will you match the same with your product or service?
So what should you do?
It’s simple, Learn the Customer's Dress Style
• Looking professional promises you a good first impression. Knowing what's expected takes a little research, a shopping trip, and a full-length mirror!
• Research the culture of the employer. A more conservative employer, e.g. accounting, finance, law, etc., will require more conservative dress.
• Look at the brochures, web sites, and employees of the organization to guide your dress style. What style of clothes is being worn by the people who work there? What image are they projecting with their clothing?
• Trust your instinct when picking your business attire. If you have to ask the question, "Can I wear this?" the answer should always be "no."
• Err on the conservative side when in doubt about what to wear.
• Avoid extremes: heels too high, skirts too short, blouses too low cut, ties or patterns too loud.
• Ask experts at a clothing store about the fit of your suit. You don't want it too loose or too tight.
Cost Vs Quality debate?
You are not expected to be able to afford the same clothing as a corporate CEO. However, everything should be clean, well pressed, and not show wear. Even the nicest khakis after 100 washings may not be your best choice for a reception. Carefully inspect new clothes for tags, and all clothes for dangling threads, etc.
Please someone explain this to me…BUSINESS vs. BUSINESS CASUAL ATTIRE
What is business attire? It is the written or unwritten dress code of an organization. Business attire suggests a formal, conservative dress style. Attention to detail, impeccable grooming, and a well-fitted suit are a must to make a lasting good impression. Business casual is a small step down from the formal business attire, but still business-like, appropriate and presentable in a place of business. Remember that the definition business casual attire should never be interpreted as casual.
Men's Business Attire
The Suit
• Choose suits neutral in color - charcoal, navy, gray, black, conservative stripes all work.
• The pant leg should touch the front of the shoe and fall just above the heel in the back.
• Pants can either have cuffs or not.
• The fabric of the suit should be gabardine or wool. Avoid cotton blends as they wrinkle.
• The suit jacket should be buttoned while standing and unbuttoned to sit. Do not button the bottom button of a three or two-piece suit.
The Dress Shirt
• If possible, have your shirt professionally laundered.
• Always wear a long sleeve shirt.
• The shirt's sleeve should extend beyond the suit jacket sleeves by 1/2 inch.
• Always wear an undershirt, as they give the appearance of a finished look; undershirt should be solid white.
The Tie
• Wear a conservative tie with subtle patterns or solid colors.
• Tie your tie to fall in the middle of your belt.
Socks, Shoes and Belt
• Wing tips or lace up conservative shoes are the most appropriate. Loafers can be used for business casual.
• Shoe color should match your suit or be of a darker color.
• Shoes should be in good condition and polished.
• Socks should match the color of your suit and cover your calves.
• Belts should be in good condition and match the color of your shoes.
Accessories
• Men should limit accessories/jewelry to 3 pieces.
• Accessories include watch, ring, handkerchief, lapel pins, cuff links, and tie tacks.
• Avoid bracelets, necklaces, and visible piercings.
Grooming
• Facial hair should be neatly trimmed (moustache, sideburns).
• Hair should be neat.
• Heavy cologne should be avoided. Soap and deodorant will allow people to remember you- not your scent.
• Nails should be clean and manicured(it's not gay).
Men – Business Casual Attire
• A sports coat creates a pulled together look in a business casual environment and eliminates the need for a tie. Pair up the sports coat with khakis or dark pants.
• Traditional dress slacks, khakis, Dockers, corduroys, wool flannel and linen slacks are appropriate with or without a blazer. Be sure to press them beforehand.
• Casual button-down oxford shirts are a great alternative to dress shirts, with or without a tie. Choose basic white, chambray or pinstripe.
• Oxfords and loafers in brown or black are a good match for khakis or corduroys.
Women's Business Attire
The Suit
• Choose a classic suit avoiding trendy suit styles.
• A skirt suit or pantsuit is considered appropriate attire.
• Skirt hemlines should be knee length or longer. Miniskirts are not appropriate.
• Color does not have to be limited to dark colors.
• Make sure the suit flatters your figure and is a good fit, not too tight or too loose.
• Jacket sleeves should fall 1/2 inch below your wrist.
The Blouse
• Blouses should be updated, but neither low cut nor revealing.
• Do not wear a camisole or see through blouse. (Your company's product/service should get the attention, not you!)
• Blouse should include sleeves.
Shoes and Hose
• Shoes should be pumps, flats or sling backs, do not wear shoes with open toes.
• Shoe color should be darker than your suit.
• Heels should be 1-2 inches; higher heels should be saved for after hours.
• Hosiery should be worn with a skirt to match your skin tone or suit.
Accessories
• Jewelry should be kept minimal and conservative.
Make-up and Grooming
• Makeup should be natural looking. People want to remember you, not your eye shadow.
• Nails should be clean and manicured.
• Nail polish and lip color should not be too trendy or bright.
• Hair should be clean, neat in appearance.
• Perfume should be applied very lightly if at all. A good soap and antiperspirant will allow people to remember you not your scent.
Women – Business Casual Attire
• Pantsuits are a wise choice for a business casual event.
• A classic sheath paired with a cardigan or a blazer in the same fabric and color is a good choice.
• Crisp, cotton shirts added to dress pants, khakis, or skirts make a casual outfit.
• Cardigan twin sets are also an easy way to present a more casual look while still looking professional.
• Jewelry, scarves and other accessories will add a polished finish to an outfit. Remember though, "less is more."
• Shoes should still be well-made and close-toed - no extremes. Flats are appropriate, platform slides are not.
• Hose are not essential for business casual, but recommended for shorter skirts.
• Knee highs or trouser socks are suggested with pants.
ALL - Unacceptable Attire
• Jeans or denim pants, shorts
• Leggings/stretch/stirrup/sweat pants, spandex or other form fitting pants
• Athletic shoes, hiking boots, sandals, slides or flip flops
• Flannel shirts or T-shirts
• Hats/caps
Checklist for Putting it All Together
Regardless of the occasion, dressing appropriately is one of the easiest ways to impress the potential employer.
ô€€¹ Hair: Should be clean and neat.
ô€€¹ Shoes: Should be in polished condition. Make sure heels are not worn.
ô€€¹ Details: No missing buttons, no lint; and don’t forget to remove external tags and tacking stitches from new clothes.
ô€€¹ Hands: Clean fingernails.
ô€€¹ Fit: Clothes should be clean, neatly pressed, and fit properly, neither tight nor baggy.
ô€€¹ Smell: Perfume or cologne should be used sparingly or not at all. No odors on clothes. Don't smell like smoke.
Trust your instinct when picking your business attire.
If you have to ask the question, "Can I wear this?" the answer should always be "no."
Monday, April 14, 2008
Online Media being promoted by Offline Media
I was recently reading this article by Preeti Chaturvedi on her blog regarding how print media is a key promoting factor for social media especially blogging.
Though I am of the view that Online media will take over print media sooner or later (a distant dream), however, at this stage, print media is (just) one of the promotional channels for online media.
Definitely awareness, internet penetration and computer education are some things which will drive Social media further. In India, the literacy levels are low, local languages are much more prevalent than English. Access to internet and PCs is limited. Specifically talking about rural population it’s a definite distant dream.
However, as you would notice many print publications have enhanced the interaction in their publications by promoting user articles, editorial reviews (User Generated Content) key to social media and interactivity. However, you would agree that print has a limitation of size and capacity. Which means you can't have a 100 page newspaper, rather you can have a 500 page linked blog.
Though there is no denying fact that sales revenues have increased over years for print/traditional media, however, the gross margins have reduced YOY. This is a clear indicator that the traditional media is bearing the brunt of social media.
Ashish Bagga, CEO India Today group mentioned this recently during his speech where he mentioned about investing in alternative media.
Also why Print media would take a hit is because of lack of reference mechanism or a search engine. Recently I wrote about it and the point is that you can't refer back to newspapers/magazines as easily as you can to the online stuff. And it’s much more economical. Printing is eco – unfriendly, you are cutting down trees, online makes much more sense here.
Also every business in today's time want ROI and to measure ROIs in traditional media is very difficult. Recently I wrote about how online media can be helpful for traditional media ROI tracking.
I would say if Online Media (eg. blogging) can be considered like a product. Then on a Bell Adoption Curve (especially in India) we are at the early adopter’s stage. It’s more of the geeks and some large corporate which are leveraging the power of blogs and social media for promotions. Also with more evolving technology, penetration of internet and education of usage of PCs, the adoption will follow.
Though I am of the view that Online media will take over print media sooner or later (a distant dream), however, at this stage, print media is (just) one of the promotional channels for online media.
Definitely awareness, internet penetration and computer education are some things which will drive Social media further. In India, the literacy levels are low, local languages are much more prevalent than English. Access to internet and PCs is limited. Specifically talking about rural population it’s a definite distant dream.
However, as you would notice many print publications have enhanced the interaction in their publications by promoting user articles, editorial reviews (User Generated Content) key to social media and interactivity. However, you would agree that print has a limitation of size and capacity. Which means you can't have a 100 page newspaper, rather you can have a 500 page linked blog.
Though there is no denying fact that sales revenues have increased over years for print/traditional media, however, the gross margins have reduced YOY. This is a clear indicator that the traditional media is bearing the brunt of social media.
Ashish Bagga, CEO India Today group mentioned this recently during his speech where he mentioned about investing in alternative media.
Also why Print media would take a hit is because of lack of reference mechanism or a search engine. Recently I wrote about it and the point is that you can't refer back to newspapers/magazines as easily as you can to the online stuff. And it’s much more economical. Printing is eco – unfriendly, you are cutting down trees, online makes much more sense here.
Also every business in today's time want ROI and to measure ROIs in traditional media is very difficult. Recently I wrote about how online media can be helpful for traditional media ROI tracking.
I would say if Online Media (eg. blogging) can be considered like a product. Then on a Bell Adoption Curve (especially in India) we are at the early adopter’s stage. It’s more of the geeks and some large corporate which are leveraging the power of blogs and social media for promotions. Also with more evolving technology, penetration of internet and education of usage of PCs, the adoption will follow.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Yahoo's response to Microsoft's threat
The battle between Microsoft and Yahoo is getting hotter by the day. Here is a copy of the letter that Yahoo sent to Microsoft recently.
Dear Steve:
Our Board has reviewed your most recent letter with regard to the unsolicited proposal you made to acquire Yahoo! on January 31, 2008.
Our Board carefully considered your unsolicited proposal, unanimously concluded that it was not in the best interests of Yahoo! and our stockholders, and rejected it publicly on February 11, 2008. Our Board cited Yahoo!’s global brand, large worldwide audience, significant recent investments in advertising platforms and future growth prospects, free cash flow and earnings potential, as well as its substantial unconsolidated investments, as factors in its decision.
At the same time, we have continued to make clear that we are not opposed to a transaction with Microsoft if it is in the best interests of our stockholders. Our position is simply that any transaction must be at a value that fully reflects the value of Yahoo!, including any strategic benefits to Microsoft, and on terms that provide certainty to our stockholders.
Since disclosing our Board’s position with respect to your proposal, we have presented our three-year financial and strategic plan to our stockholders, which supports our Board’s determination that your unsolicited proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo!. Those meetings with our stockholders have also provided us an opportunity to hear their views.
We have continued to launch new products and to take actions which leverage our scale, technology, people and platforms as we execute on the strategy we publicly articulated. Today, in fact, we are announcing AMP! from Yahoo!, a new advertising management platform designed to dramatically simplify the process of buying and selling ads online.
Finally, our Board has been actively and expeditiously exploring our strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, a process which is ongoing. All of these actions have been driven by our overarching commitment to maximize stockholder value.
Our Board’s view of your proposal has not changed. We continue to believe that your proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo! and our stockholders. Contrary to statements in your letter, stockholders representing a significant portion of our outstanding shares have indicated to us that your proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo!. Furthermore, as a result of the decrease in your own stock price, the value of your proposal today is significantly lower than it was when you made your initial proposal.
In contrast to your assertions about the effect of general economic conditions on our business, Yahoo!’s business forecasts are consistent with what we outlined in our last earnings call. As you know, we recently reaffirmed our Q1 and full year guidance, which is a testament to our ability to perform in line with our expectations despite the current economic environment. In addition, our three-year financial and strategic plan which we have made public demonstrates significant potential upside not previously communicated to the financial markets. This plan has received positive feedback from our stockholders, further strengthening the view that Yahoo! is worth well more as a standalone company than the value offered in your proposal, and would be even more valuable to Microsoft. Your own statements have made clear the strategic importance of Yahoo!’s substantial assets and capabilities to Microsoft.
We regret to say that your letter mischaracterizes the nature of our discussions with you. We have had constructive conversations together regarding a variety of topics, including integration and regulatory issues. Your comment that we have refused to enter into negotiations to conclude an agreement are particularly curious given we have already rejected your initial proposal, nominally $31 per share at the time, for substantially undervaluing Yahoo! and your suggestions in your letter and the media that you are considering lowering the value of your proposal.
Moreover, Steve, you personally attended two of these meetings and could have advanced discussions in any way you saw fit. As to antitrust, we have discussed with you our concerns. Any transaction between us would result in a thorough regulatory review in multiple jurisdictions. As a follow up to a recent meeting among our respective legal advisors we had on this topic, and at your request, we provided to you on March 28 a list of additional information we would need to further our understanding of the regulatory issues associated with any transaction. To date, you have still not provided any of the requested information.
We consider your threat to commence an unsolicited offer and proxy contest to displace our independent Board members to be counterproductive and inconsistent with your stated objective of a friendly transaction. We are confident that our stockholders understand that our independent Board is best positioned to objectively and knowledgeably evaluate our Company’s alternatives and to maximize value.
In conclusion, please allow us to restate our position, so there can be no confusion. We are open to all alternatives that maximize stockholder value. To be clear, this includes a transaction with Microsoft if it represents a price that fully recognizes the value of Yahoo! on a standalone basis and to Microsoft, is superior to our other alternatives, and provides certainty of value and certainty of closing. Lastly, we are steadfast in our commitment to choosing a path that maximizes stockholder value and we will not allow you or anyone else to acquire the company for anything less than its full value.
Source : Yahoo.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
MTV Roadies 5.0 - What's the impact on Social Life?
So are you a fan of MTV roadie? The 5th addition of the series is on and has broken a lot of records in terms of TRP ratings etc. Though I just wonder sometimes, what's the impact of this show on social life of school kids, college goers and all?
What do we learn from this show?
Using abusive language? Using derogatory remarks? Back Stabbing? How to break each other's trust?
OR
Team Work? Supportive living? Independence?
What's your opinion on this.....?
Friday, April 04, 2008
10 reasons why IIM Fees hike is justified!
Recently there has been a lot of discussion and rants on the IIM Fee hike. I strongly feel its a welcome step and IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kolkatta and for that matter IITs fees hike is justified. Here are 10 reasons why this fee hike is justified?
- Best Academicians cultivate Best Businessmen
The best professors across the continent can be brought in and retained with better salaries and they will contribute in creation of best businessmen of future! - Infrastructure expansion: Why do you pay higher for your home?
Better infrastructre, more facilities, more research and more credible and authentic content can be created for the benefit of society. The inflation has increased, the prices across the board in Bangalore have risen, why on earth do you pay higher prices to buy Home? If you can expect higher salaries then this hike is definitely justified. - Fewer Subsidies means more capital for primary and secondary education.
Govt. can spend on subsidising PG education and help these institutions become autonomous. More fee will bring in more funds and this can help the government inturn to focus more on primary and secondary education. - Education loans are more freely available.
Today more banks are willing to give education loans, also government has urged to reduce interest rates for education loans. So it's much easier to get loans and pursue education. - Scholarships for needy.
The director of IIM B Pankaj Chandra has also announced the increase in the shcolarship package to 8 Cr to help the needy pay their fees. So it will be much easier for people. - Brand building for IIMs – Expansion to Newer Geos + More revenue.
The Brand IIM can be taken to the other parts of world now and you can see more IIMs opening in other parts of world expanding the IIMs realm and brand and bringing more revenue. - Competing in the International arena.
It will also help in branding exercise of IIMs to take them into multicultureal multi geographic arena. You can see IIMs focussing on expanding it's presence on the international scenario. - Building India Inc education brand as most premium.
Premium brands need advertising and branding not just in a local region but also in international scene. SO obviously increased funds will help in brand building exercises and taking IIMs brand to the next level in turn making BRAND INDIA INC. visible worldwide! - New programs can be started and better learned society.
Newer niche programs can be started, more industry can be supported with better and newer skills. More industry partnerships can be built! This will lead to a better, knowledgable, learned society that India has. - More industry interaction can be brought in.
More industry programs means more industrial revenue. Also more industries will participate in funding and expanding IIM brand to various parts of India and aborad.
This increase in fee has a overall positive effect. Student and aspirants have to be educated more by IIMs and similar society associations on why it's important and how it will be beneficial in turn for them only!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Fool's Day - VIRgin + GooGLE = VIRGLE to conquer VIRGIN Mars
Caution: Sounds like a 1st April, fool's day, prank...
VIRGIN + GOOGLE = VIRGLE Google and Virgin plan to conquer the mars and colonize it!
Read more on google's blog here.
and check out the FAQ section and look the the image where when you click on Virgile is real it shows an error URL.
VIRGIN + GOOGLE = VIRGLE Google and Virgin plan to conquer the mars and colonize it!
Read more on google's blog here.
and check out the FAQ section and look the the image where when you click on Virgile is real it shows an error URL.
Monday, March 31, 2008
One Two Three Movie Review - Laughter Riot – You will roll and fall, laughing in your chair!
One two three - Movie Review
After working 60 hours a week, all I expect from a movie is something which can make me laugh and make me enjoy my 3 hours in a movie hall. One two three has been a brilliant Riot of Laughter and I got what I wanted from this movie, 3 HOURS OF ENTERTAINMENT AND FUN. I don’t carry my brain to the movie hall, I use it in my office place where it works well for me and if you are looking for a serious plot and a well construed sequence of events, better watch a thriller. This movie is a hilarious riot of laughter and keeps you busy till the fag end.
I watched this movie, this Sunday evening in Vision Cinemas, Bangalore. PVR was running full house and I didn’t get the tickets for the same. I got the tickets in the morning for the evening show in Vision cinemas. The movie was running house full here too and to top it with, I saw 2 extra chairs being laid down in the hall.
It’s a slapstick comedy by the debutante director Ashwini Dhir. He is an award winning writer of the “office office” fame on TV. This entry into the Big Screen is a well thought of “safe formula” of masala and comedy (of errors) for the entry into the big screen entertainment. Thinking from the perspective of director you would want to break-even in your first movie, you need to ensure the movie has some entertainment value, which this movie does.
The story revolves around 3 people who have the same name: Lakshmi Narayan
1) An amateur wannabe DON (Tusshar Kapoor) supported by her mom, who begs in front DON to give Tusshar a chance to murder someone.
2) An over inquisitive employee in a company (Suniel Shetty) who keeps asking questions (even when the DON is about to kill him).
3) A veteran sales man selling Lingerie (Paresh Rawal) who sells it in his car and can see and tell the size of the UGs that a man or women wears.
The movie runs around these 3 main characters and the comedy of errors starts when these three go to Pondy for respective work and land up in the same hotel and their identities get exchanged as all of them are supposed to get information on reaching the hotel. So ONE wannbe DON on a mission to kill, gets the pic of lingerie designer[Esha Deol]. TWO gets the pic of actual DON, Mukesh Tiwari, (to be murdered) and THREE gets the pic of car dealer [Sameera Reddy].
I am not going to reveal the story or the plot. Better you watch it in the movie hall.
Though here are some pointers:
-Witty one liners (makes you rock n roll in your chairs) coupled with comedy of errors in name.
-Individual notable performances by Suniel Shetty (funny), Paresh Rawal (good as usual) and Tusshar Kapoor (Ok, nothing great).
-Also notable performances by Neetu Chandra (impressive), Vrajesh Hirjee(cool), Sanjay Mishra(rocking as always) and Mukesh Tiwari (Papa - was a good concept), Manoj Pahwa (a lil nonsense one liners but they were funny).
-Unable to impress: Esha Deol, Sameera Reddy, Tanisha, Upen Patel (oh BTW tanisha and upen patel had a full dialogue in the movie, that too in hindi ;) )
-Music – Title track was good and catchy, though rest of the songs were very OK, I would say the esha deol song was not even required. So nothing great on the music front.
-Interesting was the background music usage, with 1-2-3 running throughout the movie and Bhen Da Takaas theme.(this was funny, watch it to know it)
The screenplay was average and the direction was fair for the 1st time director. A better and tighter control is needed the next time!
The best part was Suniel Shetty’s non stop questioning sequence all around the movie and that is something which keeps your funny bone tickled! And Paresh Rawal’s ingenious acting with his straight face talk about “kachha-baniyan”.
As I said earlier, if you wish to enjoy and laugh for a change, it’s a must watch! Though if you are of those serious kinds who look for a very serious plot and thrill, this is not for you!
One two three or 1 2 3 is the stepping stone for Ashwini Dhir in the cinema and it’s a welcome step is all what I can say!
After working 60 hours a week, all I expect from a movie is something which can make me laugh and make me enjoy my 3 hours in a movie hall. One two three has been a brilliant Riot of Laughter and I got what I wanted from this movie, 3 HOURS OF ENTERTAINMENT AND FUN. I don’t carry my brain to the movie hall, I use it in my office place where it works well for me and if you are looking for a serious plot and a well construed sequence of events, better watch a thriller. This movie is a hilarious riot of laughter and keeps you busy till the fag end.
I watched this movie, this Sunday evening in Vision Cinemas, Bangalore. PVR was running full house and I didn’t get the tickets for the same. I got the tickets in the morning for the evening show in Vision cinemas. The movie was running house full here too and to top it with, I saw 2 extra chairs being laid down in the hall.
It’s a slapstick comedy by the debutante director Ashwini Dhir. He is an award winning writer of the “office office” fame on TV. This entry into the Big Screen is a well thought of “safe formula” of masala and comedy (of errors) for the entry into the big screen entertainment. Thinking from the perspective of director you would want to break-even in your first movie, you need to ensure the movie has some entertainment value, which this movie does.
The story revolves around 3 people who have the same name: Lakshmi Narayan
1) An amateur wannabe DON (Tusshar Kapoor) supported by her mom, who begs in front DON to give Tusshar a chance to murder someone.
2) An over inquisitive employee in a company (Suniel Shetty) who keeps asking questions (even when the DON is about to kill him).
3) A veteran sales man selling Lingerie (Paresh Rawal) who sells it in his car and can see and tell the size of the UGs that a man or women wears.
The movie runs around these 3 main characters and the comedy of errors starts when these three go to Pondy for respective work and land up in the same hotel and their identities get exchanged as all of them are supposed to get information on reaching the hotel. So ONE wannbe DON on a mission to kill, gets the pic of lingerie designer[Esha Deol]. TWO gets the pic of actual DON, Mukesh Tiwari, (to be murdered) and THREE gets the pic of car dealer [Sameera Reddy].
I am not going to reveal the story or the plot. Better you watch it in the movie hall.
Though here are some pointers:
-Witty one liners (makes you rock n roll in your chairs) coupled with comedy of errors in name.
-Individual notable performances by Suniel Shetty (funny), Paresh Rawal (good as usual) and Tusshar Kapoor (Ok, nothing great).
-Also notable performances by Neetu Chandra (impressive), Vrajesh Hirjee(cool), Sanjay Mishra(rocking as always) and Mukesh Tiwari (Papa - was a good concept), Manoj Pahwa (a lil nonsense one liners but they were funny).
-Unable to impress: Esha Deol, Sameera Reddy, Tanisha, Upen Patel (oh BTW tanisha and upen patel had a full dialogue in the movie, that too in hindi ;) )
-Music – Title track was good and catchy, though rest of the songs were very OK, I would say the esha deol song was not even required. So nothing great on the music front.
-Interesting was the background music usage, with 1-2-3 running throughout the movie and Bhen Da Takaas theme.(this was funny, watch it to know it)
The screenplay was average and the direction was fair for the 1st time director. A better and tighter control is needed the next time!
The best part was Suniel Shetty’s non stop questioning sequence all around the movie and that is something which keeps your funny bone tickled! And Paresh Rawal’s ingenious acting with his straight face talk about “kachha-baniyan”.
As I said earlier, if you wish to enjoy and laugh for a change, it’s a must watch! Though if you are of those serious kinds who look for a very serious plot and thrill, this is not for you!
One two three or 1 2 3 is the stepping stone for Ashwini Dhir in the cinema and it’s a welcome step is all what I can say!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Creative Labs PR 2.0 Debacle + Microsoft’s shoddy VISTA OS = Lost Customers
Creative Labs PR 2.0 Debacle + Microsoft’s shoddy VISTA OS = Lost Customers
On 28th March 2008, Creative Labs, makers of X-Fi series of Sound Cards which are known for it’s good quality and Dolby Digital LIVE experience, faced the worst PR ire. I would call it a PR 2.0 debacle.
Good product + BAD OS + Bad Drivers + Bad Support – Customer empathy = Worst PR 2.0.
The public admonition on blogosphere (creative’s forums) worked against the company’s product and services marketing efforts.
All this PR 2.0 debacle started when Phil O'Shaughnessy, VP Corporate Communications, Creative Labs Inc., openly on the forum posted the message below, pointing it out to Daniel_K a regular contributor to the forum, who modified the code of the drivers to make the X-Fi cards work properly on Windows Vista.
Daniel_K:We are aware that you have been assisting owners of our Creative sound cards for some time now, by providing unofficial driver packages for Vista that deliver more of the original functionality that was found in the equivalent XP packages for those sound cards. In principle we don't have a problem with you helping users in this way, so long as they understand that any driver packages you supply are not supported by Creative. Where we do have a problem is when technology and IP owned by Creative or other companies that Creative has licensed from, are made to run on other products for which they are not intended. We took action to remove your thread because, like you, Creative and its technology partners think it is only fair to be compensated for goods and services. The difference in this case is that we own the rights to the materials that you are distributing. By enabling our technology and IP to run on sound cards for which it was not originally offered or intended, you are in effect, stealing our goods. When you solicit donations for providing packages like this, you are profiting from something that you do not own. If we choose to develop and provide host-based processing features with certain sound cards and not others, that is a business decision that only we have the right to make.
Although you say you have discontinued your practice of distributing unauthorized software packages for Creative sound cards we have seen evidence of them elsewhere along with donation requests from you. We also note in a recent post of yours on these forums, that you appear to be contemplating the release of further packages. To be clear, we are asking you to respect our legal rights in this matter and cease all further unauthorized distribution of our technology and IP. In addition we request that you observe our forum rules and respect our right to enforce those rules. If you are in any doubt as to what we would consider unacceptable then please request clarification through one of our forum moderators before posting.Phil O'ShaughnessyVP Corporate CommunicationsCreative Labs Inc.
Even though I do not have personally anything against them, and I do understand that there action was primarily to support IP protection of their own company products, however, the communication message and the behaviour adopted was un-customer friendly and obviously the potential and existing customers have punished it openly.
However, the sound cards, which work fine on Windows XP, yet lose some functionality on the new Vista operating system. Forum member Daniel_K made some modifications to the code used to run the sound cards, and released drivers of his own that allowed Creative Labs users to take full advantage of their sound cards on Vista.
Daniel_K was recently able to "fix" many drivers, enabling the "incompatible" features as well as fixing some bugs. He made a few mistakes, however, as in asking for donations. Making a profit off his modded drivers was asking for trouble. Now Daniel_K probably shouldn’t have sought donations for his work - that’s the main thing that most likely attracted attention to his efforts. But otherwise, he was only trying to ensure that other users like himself were able to get their sound cards to work properly on the sometimes-unstable Vista OS.
However, Creative's announcement, as well as Daniel_k's indicating he was quitting the modding business drew still more ire - from Creative's customers.
For example, this one:
I am sure I am not alone when I ask this. Once and for all, we want the truth:After your disrespectful messages to Daniel_K, will you be fixing your own drivers? Or are you going to leave it as it is?
And this one:
I'm happy to announce that by your recent actions AGAINST your customers I have decided NEVER to purchase a Creative product again. I'm also happy to say that within 30 minutes of your horrible news I've managed to convince 3 people to NOT purchase planned Creative products.It's indeed not a lot but at least I'm doing something.
And finally:
Can we (Vista and X-Fi users) request for a refund as Creative has failed to deliver the necessary drivers and materials in order for the Sound Card to work as advertise?
I have to admit, Daniel_k has a good point in his post I linked above, one that Creative should take to heart:
The funny thing is that you are faster "protecting" your technologies and intelectual properties than providing improved drivers and softwares for your customers.
You purposedly crippled and ruined the Audigy/Live! (Emu10kx) and the Audigy LS/SE/Value/Live!24-bit (P17) drivers for Windows Vista.
This just proves you don't really care about what your customers and what people think about you.
Immediately following their VP’s blog post, the rants against Creative Labs begin - and as of this writing, continue for 80 pages - almost 700 comments - nearly all of them negative. Most posters are saying that they will either return their Creative Labs product, or that they will never purchase or recommend the purchase of a Creative Labs product again.
What Creative Labs does not seem to get is what they have been hunting themselves, it's called ROI, return of investment. Something the folks that who have invested over $200 for a high-end Audigy card with a breakout box did not get back when they moved to Vista.
A complete PR 2.0 Debacle. My advice to Creative Labs, firstly fix the drivers and provide it on a priority and reassure the customers, that they will get the ROI on the cards they have bought. And then go public like this, they way they have.
On 28th March 2008, Creative Labs, makers of X-Fi series of Sound Cards which are known for it’s good quality and Dolby Digital LIVE experience, faced the worst PR ire. I would call it a PR 2.0 debacle.
Good product + BAD OS + Bad Drivers + Bad Support – Customer empathy = Worst PR 2.0.
The public admonition on blogosphere (creative’s forums) worked against the company’s product and services marketing efforts.
All this PR 2.0 debacle started when Phil O'Shaughnessy, VP Corporate Communications, Creative Labs Inc., openly on the forum posted the message below, pointing it out to Daniel_K a regular contributor to the forum, who modified the code of the drivers to make the X-Fi cards work properly on Windows Vista.
Daniel_K:We are aware that you have been assisting owners of our Creative sound cards for some time now, by providing unofficial driver packages for Vista that deliver more of the original functionality that was found in the equivalent XP packages for those sound cards. In principle we don't have a problem with you helping users in this way, so long as they understand that any driver packages you supply are not supported by Creative. Where we do have a problem is when technology and IP owned by Creative or other companies that Creative has licensed from, are made to run on other products for which they are not intended. We took action to remove your thread because, like you, Creative and its technology partners think it is only fair to be compensated for goods and services. The difference in this case is that we own the rights to the materials that you are distributing. By enabling our technology and IP to run on sound cards for which it was not originally offered or intended, you are in effect, stealing our goods. When you solicit donations for providing packages like this, you are profiting from something that you do not own. If we choose to develop and provide host-based processing features with certain sound cards and not others, that is a business decision that only we have the right to make.
Although you say you have discontinued your practice of distributing unauthorized software packages for Creative sound cards we have seen evidence of them elsewhere along with donation requests from you. We also note in a recent post of yours on these forums, that you appear to be contemplating the release of further packages. To be clear, we are asking you to respect our legal rights in this matter and cease all further unauthorized distribution of our technology and IP. In addition we request that you observe our forum rules and respect our right to enforce those rules. If you are in any doubt as to what we would consider unacceptable then please request clarification through one of our forum moderators before posting.Phil O'ShaughnessyVP Corporate CommunicationsCreative Labs Inc.
Even though I do not have personally anything against them, and I do understand that there action was primarily to support IP protection of their own company products, however, the communication message and the behaviour adopted was un-customer friendly and obviously the potential and existing customers have punished it openly.
However, the sound cards, which work fine on Windows XP, yet lose some functionality on the new Vista operating system. Forum member Daniel_K made some modifications to the code used to run the sound cards, and released drivers of his own that allowed Creative Labs users to take full advantage of their sound cards on Vista.
Daniel_K was recently able to "fix" many drivers, enabling the "incompatible" features as well as fixing some bugs. He made a few mistakes, however, as in asking for donations. Making a profit off his modded drivers was asking for trouble. Now Daniel_K probably shouldn’t have sought donations for his work - that’s the main thing that most likely attracted attention to his efforts. But otherwise, he was only trying to ensure that other users like himself were able to get their sound cards to work properly on the sometimes-unstable Vista OS.
However, Creative's announcement, as well as Daniel_k's indicating he was quitting the modding business drew still more ire - from Creative's customers.
For example, this one:
I am sure I am not alone when I ask this. Once and for all, we want the truth:After your disrespectful messages to Daniel_K, will you be fixing your own drivers? Or are you going to leave it as it is?
And this one:
I'm happy to announce that by your recent actions AGAINST your customers I have decided NEVER to purchase a Creative product again. I'm also happy to say that within 30 minutes of your horrible news I've managed to convince 3 people to NOT purchase planned Creative products.It's indeed not a lot but at least I'm doing something.
And finally:
Can we (Vista and X-Fi users) request for a refund as Creative has failed to deliver the necessary drivers and materials in order for the Sound Card to work as advertise?
I have to admit, Daniel_k has a good point in his post I linked above, one that Creative should take to heart:
The funny thing is that you are faster "protecting" your technologies and intelectual properties than providing improved drivers and softwares for your customers.
You purposedly crippled and ruined the Audigy/Live! (Emu10kx) and the Audigy LS/SE/Value/Live!24-bit (P17) drivers for Windows Vista.
This just proves you don't really care about what your customers and what people think about you.
Immediately following their VP’s blog post, the rants against Creative Labs begin - and as of this writing, continue for 80 pages - almost 700 comments - nearly all of them negative. Most posters are saying that they will either return their Creative Labs product, or that they will never purchase or recommend the purchase of a Creative Labs product again.
What Creative Labs does not seem to get is what they have been hunting themselves, it's called ROI, return of investment. Something the folks that who have invested over $200 for a high-end Audigy card with a breakout box did not get back when they moved to Vista.
A complete PR 2.0 Debacle. My advice to Creative Labs, firstly fix the drivers and provide it on a priority and reassure the customers, that they will get the ROI on the cards they have bought. And then go public like this, they way they have.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Healthy Mobile Office, of Tomorrow?
This Wednesday night I picked up my parents from the airport who are on an India wide holiday trip and while I was on my way back to home, we were discussing the bad traffic situation on Bangalore roads(it took us 1 hour to reach from bangalore airport to my house~8 kms).
And then discussion turned out that it’s not just Bangalore but every city in India or outside which is having these traffic qualms.
So it gave a birth to another discussion. I mentioned that it used to take me 40 minutes to travel from BTM Layout in Bangalore to my Wipro office on Hosur road which was exactly 4.5 kms away. The situation is even worse in Mumbai and many such cities.
So what’s the solution? Well I put forward an idea that let’s not go to our office, so we will not have to face the traffic. And the traffic will automatically decrease. Obviously I do not mean that stop working. But what I mean is work from home.
In today’s world, what’s needed to do your job, mostly a PC, Internet connection and a phone? So, you can have most of it at your home and you can start working from home. Is this, what is going to happen in the future? Are offices of tomorrow going to be your homes?
I mean it makes perfect sense, you can work from home and for any collaborative activity you can go the office if needed.
And BTW I was reading another interesting post and say a very interesting video of a Truly Mobile Office. So now you can give 3 cheers for good health and a healthy business!
And then discussion turned out that it’s not just Bangalore but every city in India or outside which is having these traffic qualms.
So it gave a birth to another discussion. I mentioned that it used to take me 40 minutes to travel from BTM Layout in Bangalore to my Wipro office on Hosur road which was exactly 4.5 kms away. The situation is even worse in Mumbai and many such cities.
So what’s the solution? Well I put forward an idea that let’s not go to our office, so we will not have to face the traffic. And the traffic will automatically decrease. Obviously I do not mean that stop working. But what I mean is work from home.
In today’s world, what’s needed to do your job, mostly a PC, Internet connection and a phone? So, you can have most of it at your home and you can start working from home. Is this, what is going to happen in the future? Are offices of tomorrow going to be your homes?
I mean it makes perfect sense, you can work from home and for any collaborative activity you can go the office if needed.
And BTW I was reading another interesting post and say a very interesting video of a Truly Mobile Office. So now you can give 3 cheers for good health and a healthy business!
CLAIM - Collaborative Learning and Involvement Marketing
CLAIM - Collaborative Learning and Involvement Marketing to claim more and more customers with confidence and pride.
Today I am introducing this concept in marketing, called, CLAIM and I will try to explain, how, you can acquire more customers and convert more prospects into customers by using this CLAIM concept.
Collaborative learning
What do you see people doing around you? From a CEO to a desk manager, from a machine shop owner to a software engineer, from a marketing professional to sales guy, every one is involved in a day to day task of there own. To accomplish that task they are communicating and applying knowledge or their skills. Either they are using their previously acquired knowledge/network or they are learning new skills/building new network. They are talking to each other, talking to customers and prospects, keeping in touch professionally or socially, they are searching information, they are reading or writing they are leveraging everything possible to collaborate and accomplish their tasks, everyday.
How different are the things from earlier days and now? Well in 1970s if you were to acquire accomplish any task, you would be talking to someone senior, spending time with them and learn from their experience. However, with fast paced life in today’s world, it’s getting difficult to do that. So what do people do today? People leverage the knowledge networks and their professional networks. They learn from the knowledge already available to them. There are multiple sources of knowledge today from learning from the case studies, whitepapers, research reports, survey analysis, personal network, professional network, open question and answers online and vast knowledge available in terms of best practices on Internet.
People are collaborating with each other to help each other learn and grow much faster than they could have otherwise.
As Graham Jones pointed out in his post “online advertisers are failing to understand people”, it is partially evident, that ads are disruptive. This means: you can catch the attention once; however, does that have a positive effect? No.
So what does the marketer DO?
Re-focus on customers!
It’s becoming simpler to answer this complex situation, Collaborate with the customers/prospects and keep the Learning process ON always. Open up your ears and eyes and whatever possible to learn from the customers. And be genuinely interested in making the customer successful.
Make it a 3 way learning process.
New Customer/Prospect <-----> Marketer <----->Existing Customer
Learn from your existing customers, learn from your new customer or prospect and then share the knowledge from an existing customer to another customer and repeat this cycle.
Come up with solutions to present issues that a customer is facing. Make your present customer successful and make the successful customers your sales people.
Involve the customers and prospects in your marketing by interacting with them and making them do the Word of Mouth.
Getting your intentions correct – Though it’s a long term strategy and many organizations are ignoring it in the pretext of short term sales and revenue, the genuine intention of making your customers successful is dying. While your customer is struggling with an issue in their work, you as a marketer is showing benefits to the customers and not projecting the genuine intent for a solution. Collaborate with them to showcase the best solutions out there from your research and learning from other customers.
Reach out as a support in communities and professional networks. Provide research and best practices at no charge and make people successful in their jobs. Does this need time and money from your side? Yes it does, however, it is important now to collaborate and involve people in your marketing effort.
With Collaboration and Continous Involvement of your customers and prospects in the marketing process, you CLAIM more and more customers with pride!
Today I am introducing this concept in marketing, called, CLAIM and I will try to explain, how, you can acquire more customers and convert more prospects into customers by using this CLAIM concept.
Collaborative learning
What do you see people doing around you? From a CEO to a desk manager, from a machine shop owner to a software engineer, from a marketing professional to sales guy, every one is involved in a day to day task of there own. To accomplish that task they are communicating and applying knowledge or their skills. Either they are using their previously acquired knowledge/network or they are learning new skills/building new network. They are talking to each other, talking to customers and prospects, keeping in touch professionally or socially, they are searching information, they are reading or writing they are leveraging everything possible to collaborate and accomplish their tasks, everyday.
How different are the things from earlier days and now? Well in 1970s if you were to acquire accomplish any task, you would be talking to someone senior, spending time with them and learn from their experience. However, with fast paced life in today’s world, it’s getting difficult to do that. So what do people do today? People leverage the knowledge networks and their professional networks. They learn from the knowledge already available to them. There are multiple sources of knowledge today from learning from the case studies, whitepapers, research reports, survey analysis, personal network, professional network, open question and answers online and vast knowledge available in terms of best practices on Internet.
People are collaborating with each other to help each other learn and grow much faster than they could have otherwise.
As Graham Jones pointed out in his post “online advertisers are failing to understand people”, it is partially evident, that ads are disruptive. This means: you can catch the attention once; however, does that have a positive effect? No.
So what does the marketer DO?
Re-focus on customers!
It’s becoming simpler to answer this complex situation, Collaborate with the customers/prospects and keep the Learning process ON always. Open up your ears and eyes and whatever possible to learn from the customers. And be genuinely interested in making the customer successful.
Make it a 3 way learning process.
New Customer/Prospect <-----> Marketer <----->Existing Customer
Learn from your existing customers, learn from your new customer or prospect and then share the knowledge from an existing customer to another customer and repeat this cycle.
Come up with solutions to present issues that a customer is facing. Make your present customer successful and make the successful customers your sales people.
Involve the customers and prospects in your marketing by interacting with them and making them do the Word of Mouth.
Getting your intentions correct – Though it’s a long term strategy and many organizations are ignoring it in the pretext of short term sales and revenue, the genuine intention of making your customers successful is dying. While your customer is struggling with an issue in their work, you as a marketer is showing benefits to the customers and not projecting the genuine intent for a solution. Collaborate with them to showcase the best solutions out there from your research and learning from other customers.
Reach out as a support in communities and professional networks. Provide research and best practices at no charge and make people successful in their jobs. Does this need time and money from your side? Yes it does, however, it is important now to collaborate and involve people in your marketing effort.
With Collaboration and Continous Involvement of your customers and prospects in the marketing process, you CLAIM more and more customers with pride!
HSBC Bank - Marketing promotion reaches New “Greener” Heights – Shameful Marketing promotion
HSBC Bank - Marketing Strategy reaches New “Greener” Heights – Shameful Marketing promotion.Yesterday night while on my evening walk I noticed the "New Green Ways" of marketing adopted by some Employees of HSBC bank. As if the annoying calls for personal loans were not enough, the Sales Executive at HSBC bank decided to NAIL posters on the trunks of trees to sell Personal Loans.
As John Muir said, “God has cared for these trees, saved them from draught, diseases, avalanches, a thousand of tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.”
I wonder what they are thinking when they came up with this brilliant Marketing Plan. Will posting a personal loan ad on a tree trunk get people to call you? It is ridiculous. Isnt there a law againt this somewhere in the country?
I was just wondering, if you post something on a billboard, you pay the billboard owner rent. Considering HSBC posters are on trees which are public property should'nt HSBC be paying the public. Will HSBC give out company shares to every bangalorean? Will they atleast pay-back society in some way instead if ruining the environment. Is there anything at all the Bank is doing for the society in which it operates?
Enough of complaining. On one hand while there are no-brainer promotion tactics like this, there are some people who really care for the city and planet’s green face. They have started planting trees for free across the city. They have left a name www.treesforfree.org humbly and they have a blog which is full of action and it speaks for them.
What I am doing here is to take their action to masses and spread their to the people:
“We plant trees for free to heal the earth. As of now, we do this in Bangalore only. So if you know any place where a tree can take root and flourish, let us know. We'll do the rest. You're welcome to join us, I as a volunteer or a "tree planting member"(one who gives 100 rupees to plant a tree, every month). We also plant trees as a living tribute to your birthday, anniversary, or any other day that you want us to. If you like what we do, and then feel free to spread the good word about our work. Speak to your friends, family, and your company's CSR department. Do whatever it takes to spread some greenery and heal the earth.”
I have contacted the people behind this to put my personal efforts to help promote and contribute in this initiative.
For once, let’s stop complaining and DO this. And for the people at the private banks, please put some thought into your Marketing exercises.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Holi - Indian festival of colors brings freshness in Subways from Mumbai to New York!
Do you stink? Please take a bath this Holi ... :)
We casually joke in India, pointing at the lazy bums, “You take a bath from Holi-to-Holi?” Not sure how true that joke is, but with people stinking in sub ways and public transports, it sometimes looks like it is true.
Holi - for once in a year everybody takes a public bath, quite literally :). Holi is an Indian festival which is played with colors and water with a lot of enthusiasm. It has a rich cultural history, read more about it here. On the first day it’s celebrated by a bon-fire signifying burning the demoness Holika and on the second day (dulhendi) with colors and water. Even though it is a little dirty festival (as many people might say) it at least cleanses the dirt off your body and at the end you smell good. I would say it’s more of a mass cleaning operation :).
Holi - for once in a year everybody takes a public bath, quite literally :). Holi is an Indian festival which is played with colors and water with a lot of enthusiasm. It has a rich cultural history, read more about it here. On the first day it’s celebrated by a bon-fire signifying burning the demoness Holika and on the second day (dulhendi) with colors and water. Even though it is a little dirty festival (as many people might say) it at least cleanses the dirt off your body and at the end you smell good. I would say it’s more of a mass cleaning operation :).
Why don’t people play holi every month in Mumbai and New York? I think it’s more important for people to adopt this festival considering the increased stink in the subway trains. Just a few days ago while I was talking to my friend in New York and he pointed that people stink in sub ways and it seems as if they haven’t had a bath in ages. It made me reminisce my days of travel in local DTC and Blue line buses in Delhi, and the journeys in local trains in Mumbai, even some of my early job days in Chennai, the stink on these public transport systems was so bad that I sometimes almost killed myself pressing my nose hard to escape the smell.
Our politicians don’t stink: They all love holi. In India, right from politicians to small kids, people of all ages, castes, creeds play holi. UP and Bihar have a unique style of playing holi called “Kurta Faad” holi. Our favorite railway minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, is known for this style. Recently The Hindu reported that Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and AB Vajpayee all enjoyed holi.
More facts on Holi: Holifestival.org gave tips on how to make natural colors (I hope these colors take the stink off the subways). Also I saw a holi calendar till 2021 which tells you when holi is (you can visit here). I was wondering if I can rewrite the calendar and celebrate Holi every month. More facts about holi can be found here.
BTW: For social service I do play holi and here is the proof!
Our politicians don’t stink: They all love holi. In India, right from politicians to small kids, people of all ages, castes, creeds play holi. UP and Bihar have a unique style of playing holi called “Kurta Faad” holi. Our favorite railway minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, is known for this style. Recently The Hindu reported that Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and AB Vajpayee all enjoyed holi.
More facts on Holi: Holifestival.org gave tips on how to make natural colors (I hope these colors take the stink off the subways). Also I saw a holi calendar till 2021 which tells you when holi is (you can visit here). I was wondering if I can rewrite the calendar and celebrate Holi every month. More facts about holi can be found here.
BTW: For social service I do play holi and here is the proof!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tradition Marketer? Online media can help your ROI tracking.
My online media evangelism is making me more generous towards the traditional media marketers or you can call it’s a sympathy gesture to myself (for the time I spent in traditional media). Here is a piece of advice for the traditional media marketers to track the ROIs from the offline media campaigns (which is a hard nut to crack otherwise).
Let’s say you are running TV, Radio, Print ads for certain campaign and you wish to track your ROI. Neither this is a fool proof method nor will it give you an accurate tracking, however, it can act as an add-on to your regular media tracking tricks. Assumption made here is that you would be using some call to action in your campaign and tracking it back to your results.
Try to use a “keyword” or a “buzzword” in your campaign as a call to action. Now, much before launching your offline campaign, you can look at the search engine volumes for the specific keyword which you are going to use in your offline campaign.
Identify some popular search engines in your region and start running a fixed time SEM campaign. Buy out certain keywords that you are going to use in your offline campaign and you expect that those keywords will be searched by people in search engines.
Now bid for those keywords and keep a close track on the search engine traffic coming to your website through those keywords before launching the offline campaign. This is the base setup which will work as the platform for you.
Once you start your offline campaign monitor the post campaign increase in search volumes of your keywords and the increased traffic to your website. Determine whether your offline media has a positive ROI impact by evaluating whether this incremental search traffic got you additional searches, enquiries, sales, etc.
Was it worth investment on your offline media initiatives? In case your business is not at all online, and you know, for example, that majority of your business is done by phone or in stores; you could look at increased search volumes when calculating ROI.
This is how Online Media and search engines can help you measure your ROI and track the results a little better than what you might be doing now!
Let’s say you are running TV, Radio, Print ads for certain campaign and you wish to track your ROI. Neither this is a fool proof method nor will it give you an accurate tracking, however, it can act as an add-on to your regular media tracking tricks. Assumption made here is that you would be using some call to action in your campaign and tracking it back to your results.
Try to use a “keyword” or a “buzzword” in your campaign as a call to action. Now, much before launching your offline campaign, you can look at the search engine volumes for the specific keyword which you are going to use in your offline campaign.
Identify some popular search engines in your region and start running a fixed time SEM campaign. Buy out certain keywords that you are going to use in your offline campaign and you expect that those keywords will be searched by people in search engines.
Now bid for those keywords and keep a close track on the search engine traffic coming to your website through those keywords before launching the offline campaign. This is the base setup which will work as the platform for you.
Once you start your offline campaign monitor the post campaign increase in search volumes of your keywords and the increased traffic to your website. Determine whether your offline media has a positive ROI impact by evaluating whether this incremental search traffic got you additional searches, enquiries, sales, etc.
Was it worth investment on your offline media initiatives? In case your business is not at all online, and you know, for example, that majority of your business is done by phone or in stores; you could look at increased search volumes when calculating ROI.
This is how Online Media and search engines can help you measure your ROI and track the results a little better than what you might be doing now!
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