People have stopped thinking:
Here's a "news" article comparing today's economics with those of the Great Depression.
Great Depression Comparison at http://www.wfsb.com/save-money/19396928/detail.html
You can click on tabs to compare Unemployment, Economic Markers, Government Help, and The People.
Seems pretty logical and straightforward doesn't it?
1.) UNEMPLOYMENT: Does not count underemployed, those who have given-up on searching, etc. Even working so much as 1 hour per week counts as being "employed". Also what is not compared is the ratio of jobs per person before the G.D. and during; as well as before the Recession and current. These are factors that aren't factored in. It's like comparing apples to oranges. The general public audience is probably thinking, "Well, it's all fruit to me!" Why don't we add some nuts to the mix... because that's the role of Media nowadays.
2.) ECONOMIC MARKERS: Consumer Spending. These categories KILL me. First of all, an apple cost $0.05 around the time of the G.D. Today's apple costs around $0.70. The increase in spending is likely due to increase in costs -- and is not indicative of "wealth", which this chart would otherwise lead someone to believe. Nowhere do I see the words "adjusted for inflation".
What the data does show is that during the G.D., there was a decline in spending. What is shown for today vs. 2004 is an increase in spending. Something worth noting: CREDIT CARDS. To my knowledge, they didn't exist during the G.D. -- and combined with increase in overall costs, which is skyrocketing... I'm not convinced this data shows an accurate picture.
3.) GOVERNMENT HELP: I'm going to stay out of this argument entirely. But use your noggins, People!
4.) THE PEOPLE: Massive lines of people seeking handouts. OK. Several factors to deal with here. The first and most obvious is SPRAWL. That means prior to the advent of Consumer Shopping Malls -- the population was heavily concentrated in CITIES with sparse population of farmers in rural areas. Suburbs did NOT exist. Today, instead of seeing massive lines of people concentrated in one area -- they are all thinned out across the geography of the United States. If you collected all the people who are unemployed in CT (a small state, I might add) and shoved them all into downtown Hartford, you'd see a much different picture.
Another factor equally obvious: CREDIT CARDS. That's right, we can now "hide" people by pretending they aren't in poverty and spending plastic that doesn't exist. The data about the lock-down on credit cards and spiked interest rates are too new to factor into this picture.
Additionally, people can now file continued claim unemployment benefits over the phone or Internet. So, we're reducing MOST of the line of people. But, if you were laid off last June like I was and collecting in the state of Connecticut, you'd know there were times when one would try to call in or access the website for DAYS without being able to get through. Indeed, the massive lines were there.... just conveniently hidden from view.
People, please WAKE UP to the benefits of logic and critical thinking skill that our Forefathers used to create our Constitution and this Country... before we give IT up along with the power of our vote, which we've already lost.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
The 40-40-20 Marketing Rule and Client Management
In Marketing, there is a rule known as "40-40-20", which essentially states that 100-percent success is comprised of 40-percent audience, 40-percent product/service, and 20-percent message.
In lay terms, this means that you better have an awesome target list because almost half of your success depends on building or buying the right marketing list. Some clients think that just because they have a large list, they are going to succeed. That isn't usually the case.
Another huge chunk of your success depends on your product or service. What makes your product or service truly unique? What do you offer that none of your competitors do? In other words, what are you really selling? Unless you can sell something that no one else does, then you've undermined your ability to succeed by 40-percent.
Finally, your message and its delivery is going to comprise one-fifth of your ability to succeed. After all, you could have the best audience and a totally unique product/service, but if your sales pitch isn't stellar, you'll wind up average at 80% optimal chance of success. Do you want to be average?
Several years ago, I worked independently for Reilly & Associates, Inc. and Oracle Corp. designing and implementing a marketing program, which (by the way) was ranked number-one nationwide in producing new leads by Oracle Channels Marketing in Q1 of 2003. Without realizing it, I was implementing the 40-40-20 rule.
It started out with determining WHO the target audience was. Reilly & Associates, Inc. sold talented individuals who implemented Oracle Process Manufacturing Software, Oracle Financials, and Enterprise Resource Planning suites. Oracle sold OPM, Financials, and ERP software modules and suites, along with databases. Reilly also sold database administration packages. Obviously, the target was Process Manufacturing companies.
But that was too broad. Companies under 30 million in revenue couldn't even afford the least expensive option. Companies over 1 billion in revenue were almost impossible to penetrate. Our goal: Process Manufacturing Companies between 30 million and under 1 billion in revenues.
Well, that was better. Even still, we had to figure out who to contact at the company. The Warehouse Shift Supervisor was irrelevant. The VP of Marketing was more interested in selling to us than buying from us. The President simply didn't have time to discuss the matters, which is why within the corporate structure we identified three main targets.
We received a supplied list of contacts, which was mediocre at best -- full of outdated information, irrelevant or inappropriate contacts, and even some companies which had been acquired or were no longer in business! We sought to build our own list by targeting specific industries by SIC code within our revenue spread, seeking contact information for three specific titles identified as the executive decision-makers that would ultimately decide whether or not to buy what we were selling.
We decided to solicit via direct dialogue. First, we needed to clean-up the merged list. We knew that the supplied list was known to be outdated or wrong target 30-percent of the time. Our built list was about 10-percent off. We also needed more information from our targets. If a target had bought a major competitor (SAP or then J.D. Edwards) within the last 5 years, unless they had a major implementation issue, they were otherwise a waste of time.
We decided to test the list with an incentive-based survey*. I called into the list and was able to obtain updated or missing contact information by being honest and polite with the operator, or exercising a little patience and ingenuity with automated systems. Based on a few key questions to the appropriate target, one of three things would happen:
1.) The target would indicate a pain-point, which was actively in need of being resolved. If we were lucky, we would catch them at the front end of the timeframe that involves identifying and exploring solutions prior to closing out "The Short List" of contenders. Hot Leads! That would warrant an immediate call to the Account Rep assigned to the territory.
2.) The target would indicate a weakness in the present software system and/or operational proceedures which required costly work-arounds or was perceived to be an annoyance being unaware a solution actually existed. These prospects may not be actively looking for solutions and may not even be entirely aware a problem exists. However, this was the perfect time to start a relationship so that when they got around to addressing their issues, we'd already be a trusted advisor on the top of The Short List. Prospects! That would require an investment in hand-holding, but worth a follow-up call and a program to nurture those prospects into hot leads.
3.) The target would be completely satisfied with a competitor, have no pressing concerns, or otherwise identify they spent a huge chunk of change just prior to Y2K and would not be budgeting new purchases for several years. Drop a card in the mail every 6 months and move on!
Our message was simple. Do you have anything keeping you awake at night that you'd like to share with us and if we are then able to identify a possible solution, would you be interested in having one of our experts call you to talk with no strings attached? Yes, even though I was engaged in direct marketing, I was pitching it with an "attraction marketing" approach.
This afternoon, I was thinking about how sometimes I get solicited to do the "20" part of the "40-40-20" rule. Any client who expects my 20-percent to deliver 100-percent when 80-percent is out of my hands is setting both of us up for failure. This led me to thinking about Client Management. This also led me to thinking about some of the systems I've developed or serious contemplated incorporating this year in regards to future freelancing opportunities. Just some random thoughts for today.
In lay terms, this means that you better have an awesome target list because almost half of your success depends on building or buying the right marketing list. Some clients think that just because they have a large list, they are going to succeed. That isn't usually the case.
Another huge chunk of your success depends on your product or service. What makes your product or service truly unique? What do you offer that none of your competitors do? In other words, what are you really selling? Unless you can sell something that no one else does, then you've undermined your ability to succeed by 40-percent.
Finally, your message and its delivery is going to comprise one-fifth of your ability to succeed. After all, you could have the best audience and a totally unique product/service, but if your sales pitch isn't stellar, you'll wind up average at 80% optimal chance of success. Do you want to be average?
Several years ago, I worked independently for Reilly & Associates, Inc. and Oracle Corp. designing and implementing a marketing program, which (by the way) was ranked number-one nationwide in producing new leads by Oracle Channels Marketing in Q1 of 2003. Without realizing it, I was implementing the 40-40-20 rule.
It started out with determining WHO the target audience was. Reilly & Associates, Inc. sold talented individuals who implemented Oracle Process Manufacturing Software, Oracle Financials, and Enterprise Resource Planning suites. Oracle sold OPM, Financials, and ERP software modules and suites, along with databases. Reilly also sold database administration packages. Obviously, the target was Process Manufacturing companies.
But that was too broad. Companies under 30 million in revenue couldn't even afford the least expensive option. Companies over 1 billion in revenue were almost impossible to penetrate. Our goal: Process Manufacturing Companies between 30 million and under 1 billion in revenues.
Well, that was better. Even still, we had to figure out who to contact at the company. The Warehouse Shift Supervisor was irrelevant. The VP of Marketing was more interested in selling to us than buying from us. The President simply didn't have time to discuss the matters, which is why within the corporate structure we identified three main targets.
We received a supplied list of contacts, which was mediocre at best -- full of outdated information, irrelevant or inappropriate contacts, and even some companies which had been acquired or were no longer in business! We sought to build our own list by targeting specific industries by SIC code within our revenue spread, seeking contact information for three specific titles identified as the executive decision-makers that would ultimately decide whether or not to buy what we were selling.
We decided to solicit via direct dialogue. First, we needed to clean-up the merged list. We knew that the supplied list was known to be outdated or wrong target 30-percent of the time. Our built list was about 10-percent off. We also needed more information from our targets. If a target had bought a major competitor (SAP or then J.D. Edwards) within the last 5 years, unless they had a major implementation issue, they were otherwise a waste of time.
We decided to test the list with an incentive-based survey*. I called into the list and was able to obtain updated or missing contact information by being honest and polite with the operator, or exercising a little patience and ingenuity with automated systems. Based on a few key questions to the appropriate target, one of three things would happen:
1.) The target would indicate a pain-point, which was actively in need of being resolved. If we were lucky, we would catch them at the front end of the timeframe that involves identifying and exploring solutions prior to closing out "The Short List" of contenders. Hot Leads! That would warrant an immediate call to the Account Rep assigned to the territory.
2.) The target would indicate a weakness in the present software system and/or operational proceedures which required costly work-arounds or was perceived to be an annoyance being unaware a solution actually existed. These prospects may not be actively looking for solutions and may not even be entirely aware a problem exists. However, this was the perfect time to start a relationship so that when they got around to addressing their issues, we'd already be a trusted advisor on the top of The Short List. Prospects! That would require an investment in hand-holding, but worth a follow-up call and a program to nurture those prospects into hot leads.
3.) The target would be completely satisfied with a competitor, have no pressing concerns, or otherwise identify they spent a huge chunk of change just prior to Y2K and would not be budgeting new purchases for several years. Drop a card in the mail every 6 months and move on!
Our message was simple. Do you have anything keeping you awake at night that you'd like to share with us and if we are then able to identify a possible solution, would you be interested in having one of our experts call you to talk with no strings attached? Yes, even though I was engaged in direct marketing, I was pitching it with an "attraction marketing" approach.
This afternoon, I was thinking about how sometimes I get solicited to do the "20" part of the "40-40-20" rule. Any client who expects my 20-percent to deliver 100-percent when 80-percent is out of my hands is setting both of us up for failure. This led me to thinking about Client Management. This also led me to thinking about some of the systems I've developed or serious contemplated incorporating this year in regards to future freelancing opportunities. Just some random thoughts for today.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Documentation of Death: Roadkill Series
"Too Slow" by Angelina M. HartThe turtle by the dam was too slow to evade the lens of my camera about a month ago. Naturally, I was devastated to discover the turtle was also too slow to evade what appears to be a heavy truck. Even worse, the turtle was flattened just inches from the curb.
"Flat Line" by Angelina M. HartSquirrels may be prolific in numbers, but this one was found only few hundred feet up the road from the turtle on the opposite side of the road... It seems bad drivers are just as prolific.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
THREE (3) ART SHOWS
Recently in an interview, I was asked about my pursuits during the past year. After a twenty (20) year hiatus, it was quite a thrill to respond, "I've returned to my artwork and have three upcoming shows lined up."
"Oh! You're an artist?"
"I'm an award-winning fine artist. Yes."
So, here are the details for the upcoming shows, in case anyone is interested:
DATE: AUGUST 14, 2009
EVENT: "YOUNG AT ART"
ORGANIZATION: The Children's Place
LOCATION: Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY
TIME: 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM
DETAILS: HawkPaint 8" x 10" acrylic on canvas board to be raffled/auctioned to benefit The Children's Place (daycare center). Children will also have their individual pieces of art displayed on a wall. The benefit proceeds will help keep art and music in the classrooms.
INFORMATION: Jess Duell (518) 473-7112.
DATE: AUGUST 21, 2009
EVENT: Museum After Dark (M.A.D.) "2ND ANNUAL SUMMER ART SHOW & SILENT AUCTION"
ORGANIZATION: New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA)
LOCATION: NBMAA, 56 Lexington Street, New Britain, CT
TIME: 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
DETAILS: SunHawk 10" x 10" acrylic on stretched canvas with suspended mixed media to be silently auctioned to benefit NBMAA during a time when budget cuts are slashing Arts funding. This event will have a 21+ age restriction. $10 Members, $15 Non-members.
INFORMATION: Morgan Fippinger (860) 229-0257 ext. 222 / www.nbmaa.org
DATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2009
EVENT: Shannon McCarthy's "THE GOLDEN THREAD"
ORGANIZATION: ClearPoint Center
LOCATION: ClearPoint Center, 259 East Street, Stafford, Connecticut
TIME: TBD
DETAILS: Various pieces depicting winged creatures will be displayed as invited Guest Artist to complement Shannon's 2nd annual experiential art show.
INFORMATION: www.shannonmccarthy.com / www.clearpointadvance.com
"Oh! You're an artist?"
"I'm an award-winning fine artist. Yes."
So, here are the details for the upcoming shows, in case anyone is interested:
DATE: AUGUST 14, 2009
EVENT: "YOUNG AT ART"
ORGANIZATION: The Children's Place
LOCATION: Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY
TIME: 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM
DETAILS: HawkPaint 8" x 10" acrylic on canvas board to be raffled/auctioned to benefit The Children's Place (daycare center). Children will also have their individual pieces of art displayed on a wall. The benefit proceeds will help keep art and music in the classrooms.
INFORMATION: Jess Duell (518) 473-7112.
DATE: AUGUST 21, 2009
EVENT: Museum After Dark (M.A.D.) "2ND ANNUAL SUMMER ART SHOW & SILENT AUCTION"
ORGANIZATION: New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA)
LOCATION: NBMAA, 56 Lexington Street, New Britain, CT
TIME: 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
DETAILS: SunHawk 10" x 10" acrylic on stretched canvas with suspended mixed media to be silently auctioned to benefit NBMAA during a time when budget cuts are slashing Arts funding. This event will have a 21+ age restriction. $10 Members, $15 Non-members.
INFORMATION: Morgan Fippinger (860) 229-0257 ext. 222 / www.nbmaa.org
DATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2009
EVENT: Shannon McCarthy's "THE GOLDEN THREAD"
ORGANIZATION: ClearPoint Center
LOCATION: ClearPoint Center, 259 East Street, Stafford, Connecticut
TIME: TBD
DETAILS: Various pieces depicting winged creatures will be displayed as invited Guest Artist to complement Shannon's 2nd annual experiential art show.
INFORMATION: www.shannonmccarthy.com / www.clearpointadvance.com
Sunday, June 14, 2009
About That Magnificent Bird...
After lamenting that I might never get the chance to photograph such a magnificent bird again...
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - Great Blue Heron Adventure Encore
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - Great Blue Heron Adventure EncoreNow, that's worth strutting over!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
I didn't want to post these at AngelinaHartArt on blogspot, so I decided to post here, which will RSS to my personal Facebook account.
Yesterday's walk was filled with fun discoveries: a $1 bill, a pocket knife, and the hidden entrance (opposite end) of a walking trail I hadn't explored before. Something else I discovered:
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Large Bird: Unidentified"
Through the binoculars, I noticed the bird was much darker than typical great blue herons, and although certainly as large -- the coloring of the bird and the bill was wrong. It had a black bill with a flash of white on the underside of the bill at the throat. When it flew, (having seen me crawling under the guard rail to get a couple feet closer) it launched into a slow deliberate flight with massive wings flapping while vocalizing a couple of load croaks.
Vocalization means it wasn't a stork! None of the cranes on wiki matched this bird. In fact the list of cranes didn't even come close. Deciding to search wiki's list of herons, I found a remarkable match in description and size, but noted it was out of range. Thinking there might be a similar bird, I kept looking.
In the end, nothing else appeared to match except the out of range listing. The listing also indicates this bird is sometimes mistaken for the Great Blue Heron but has darker plumage and a dusky bill. Sounds like the bird in my photo.
I googled the genus and species for more photos. Additional photos also show a strikingly similar bird with dark plumage and bill, white flash under the bill at the throat, size, etc. The range for the wiki bird is listed as... Africa! Geography aside, the bird in this photo *appears to be* a black headed heron.
Someday, I'll get a professional digital SLR with mega mega-pixels, serious wide zoom capabilities with superior lenses and filters, and tripod. I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to photograph such a magnificent bird again?
Sadly, I also found some more material for the Documentation of Death photographic series during my walk. The death was still pungent and crawling: I was afraid my hair would skim the ground as I knelt close for the shots. Unfortunately, the Olympus C-8080 flash sometimes casts a shadow due to the extended attached zoom lens, wrecking the original shots:
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Bone Claw"
Documentation of Death Series
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Flight Grounded"
Documentation of Death Series
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Beak/Skull & Beetle"
Documentation of Death Series
Yesterday's walk was filled with fun discoveries: a $1 bill, a pocket knife, and the hidden entrance (opposite end) of a walking trail I hadn't explored before. Something else I discovered:
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Large Bird: Unidentified"Through the binoculars, I noticed the bird was much darker than typical great blue herons, and although certainly as large -- the coloring of the bird and the bill was wrong. It had a black bill with a flash of white on the underside of the bill at the throat. When it flew, (having seen me crawling under the guard rail to get a couple feet closer) it launched into a slow deliberate flight with massive wings flapping while vocalizing a couple of load croaks.
Vocalization means it wasn't a stork! None of the cranes on wiki matched this bird. In fact the list of cranes didn't even come close. Deciding to search wiki's list of herons, I found a remarkable match in description and size, but noted it was out of range. Thinking there might be a similar bird, I kept looking.
In the end, nothing else appeared to match except the out of range listing. The listing also indicates this bird is sometimes mistaken for the Great Blue Heron but has darker plumage and a dusky bill. Sounds like the bird in my photo.
I googled the genus and species for more photos. Additional photos also show a strikingly similar bird with dark plumage and bill, white flash under the bill at the throat, size, etc. The range for the wiki bird is listed as... Africa! Geography aside, the bird in this photo *appears to be* a black headed heron.
Someday, I'll get a professional digital SLR with mega mega-pixels, serious wide zoom capabilities with superior lenses and filters, and tripod. I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to photograph such a magnificent bird again?
Sadly, I also found some more material for the Documentation of Death photographic series during my walk. The death was still pungent and crawling: I was afraid my hair would skim the ground as I knelt close for the shots. Unfortunately, the Olympus C-8080 flash sometimes casts a shadow due to the extended attached zoom lens, wrecking the original shots:
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Bone Claw"Documentation of Death Series
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Flight Grounded"Documentation of Death Series
Angelina M. Hart - All Rights Reserved - "Beak/Skull & Beetle"Documentation of Death Series
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Summer Vacation
I'm taking a vacation from this blog to concentrate on preparing for and promoting my involvement in an upcoming art show at NBMAA!
AngelinaHartArt.blogspot.com
See you there!
AngelinaHartArt.blogspot.com
See you there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
