The little white marketing lie that's hurting your business

Little white lies are falsities we tell people (and sometimes tell ourselves) that we believe to be benign, harmless. But there are little white marketing lies we tell all the time that may be hurting our businesses.

Little White Marketing Lie #1:
“We provide extraordinary (exceptional, excellent, etc.) customer service.”

It’s a lie when you say it, it’s a lie when your competitor says it. Why? Because of exactly that: everyone says it. When I ask a business owner about the customer experience, it’s usually the first thing that they say. Obviously, it can’t be true of every business, and if it is true of most businesses, then it’s still not true. Because by definition, in order to be extraordinary requires something to be unusual, remarkable or surprising and outside of the established order. By definition, if everyone is “exceptional,” then no one is.

The real question is, what about your customer service is surprising or remarkable – so extraordinary – if you will – that clients walk out the door and are compelled to tell other people about it? If you can’t pinpoint how the customer service your business provides to clients, day in and day out, is truly outside of what they expect, then it’s probably not exceptional.

I would argue that most of what occurs in the vast majority of businesses merely falls within customer expectations. They expect to be treated like guests. They expect to receive a great service or buy a product that does what was promised. They expect for you and your employees to be cheerful and helpful. They expect you to be knowledgeable about your work, your products, new techniques and trends.

So even if you do all these things, you’re doing no more than meeting your client’s basic expectations. There is nothing exceptional about simply meeting expectations.

What’s more, even when it comes to meeting customer expectations, many business owners are lying to themselves. Take the results of a 2011 Customer Satisfaction Barometer, conducted by American Express:

According to the study, 70% of Americans said they would be willing to spend almost 15% more with businesses they believed (really) provided excellent customer service.

With such an indicator, you would think that businesses would make customer service a top priority; but in the same survey, 60% of respondents said they don’t believe businesses are making customer service a high priority.

In fact, 26% said they think businesses are actually paying less attention to service. Only 29% of US consumers said that recent shopping experiences exceeded their expectations.

Only 24% of US consumers believe that you value their business and will go the extra mile to keep it.

48% of those who said they would not pay more for good service said it’s because they expect good service, every time. (And why shouldn’t they?)

Why is there a disconnect between what business owners believe to be true about their businesses and what their customers are saying? It seems to be in interpretation. Most business owners who claim to be providing extra-ordinary customer service are really just meeting client’s basic expectations. They believe they provide an extraordinary experience, but only about one fourth of their customers agree. Guess what? That’s why customers aren’t telling their friends and family about your business, and that is why your books are not full and your retail shelves are.

Customer service is not contained in the actions of a person taking or fulfilling an order, receiving a return or complaint, performing a service or selling a product. Customer service isn’t an action, it’s a process—an intentionally designed system—meant to enhance the customer’s experience and which influences whether a customer feels satisfied or dissatisfied by a product or service.

It’s not just about making the customer experience “better.” It’s about making it greater in value, bigger and/or more sophisticated – more than that of the competition and more than the customer expects – so that it stands out to the customer as inherently and uniquely extra-ordinary. To do that, you have to truly understand your customers—you have to go beyond guessing what they might want and find out what they really do want. And you must train, educate and empower employees to respond to requests, complaints, unique situations and individual customer’s needs and desires. And most importantly, you have to build the unexpected into client experiences. Your customer's experience must in some way be outside of the normal, expected order of things.

If you're stuck here, scratching your head about how to do this, maybe it's a good thing. If it were easy and obvious, everyone would be doing it – and then you'd really be behind! But the fact is, few businesses are serving their customers in an exceptional way, so the field is wide open for you. Do market research. Survey and solicit feedback from your customers. Form a focus group. Do secret shopping. Brainstorm with your employees. Analyze each customer touch point from a purely customer-centric point of view.

If you wonder why people don’t always agree with the claim you make that your business provides “exceptional customer service” or why the customer experience at your business is not helping you gain and retain clients, it’s because what you have in place is not actually enough to influence the customer to feel exceptionally satisfied!

White Papers: Get the Little White Marketing Lies for Small Business [ GET PDF ] or
the Little White Marketing Lies for Salon and Spa [ GET PDF ].

They're here! Get the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies - available now on my website and next week on amazon.com or purchase the 2012 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar from my site or amazon.com. List price for either is $16.95, and both are available for bulk purchase by distributors, resellers and others. [ Contact Elizabeth Kraus ] for more information.

[ Subscribe ] to my e-mail newsletter to get the next little white marketing lie - and more - delivered right to your inbox—it's going to be a great year!

Elizabeth Kraus – 12monthsofmarketing.com
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com in book and digital formats.

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Early Look: Stocks Look To End Quarter On A Down Note

The market opened under selling pressure this morning, following its cues from Asian markets which were down overnight and European markets which are lower across the board this morning. So much for the German vote of confidence on the EFSF appeasing the markets.

We have seen a small bounce in the first hour of trading after some better than expected economic reports. The Chicago PMI reading improved to 60.4 in August, well above the 54.0 consensus. And the UofM consumer sentiment reading was revised upward to 59.4 from an earlier reading of 57.8.

Still stocks are set to finish the quarter on a down note. This quarter's decline on the S&P of roughly 12% is the biggest decline since Q4 of 2008. Pretty ugly. With all of the bad news getting priced in and bearish sentiment reaching extreme levels, one has to ponder the possibility of another October bottom and some sort of year-end relief rally.

The dollar is stronger today, and that is weighing on commodities. Ag commodities are much lower today on the recent crop report. Oil prices are lower below $80.50 so far, and gold prices are also soft near $1625.

The 10-year yield has slipped back below the 2.00% level, currently at 1.92%; and the VIX is spiking another 5.5% to 41.0. It still hasn't surpassed its recent highs, but the persistent high levels in the VIX are disturbing nonetheless.

Yesterday there was a lot of chatter about the slowdown in China becoming more pronounced. China sovereign CDS prices have really been spiking lately. If the wheels come off in China, I think those who are being complacent about a recession in the U.S. might rethink their stance. We shall see.

Trading comment: The trading range for the SPX continues to coil and sets up for a breakout fairly soon. I'm worried that we have tested the SPX 1120 level 3 times now, and a fourth test might not hold. That said, if we can get to earnings season and get some positive earnings reports, that could be a catalyst to breakout over the 50-day average which has acted as resistance for the last two months. As such, I am trying to stay balanced and nimble in the interim without making any big directional bets.

long SH

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Friday's 5 - Marketing Shorts and Sweets

Last night I went to a Keith Urban concert in Seattle with my mom. To say that she's one of Keith's biggest fans is to understate. I don't even like most country music but now after my 3rd Keith Urban concert in 4 years it's clear that he has some amazing gifts — not the least of which is his ability to sing to a crowd of thousands but still make you feel he's singing just to you. Not the least of which is his ability to write songs that make you feel GOOD every time you hear them. Not the least of which is his humility and the humble gratitude he shows toward his fans.

If you've not been to a Keith Urban concert, from a marketing point of view alone, you should go. He puts it all out on the stage, every time. He gives the audience every penny's worth of music and singing and dancing they could ask for, and then some. His fans A.D.O.R.E. him. People of all ages, engaged in the city's biggest sing-along with one of the most talented musicians around. Ah, Keith, now I understand why my mom loves you so!

Here are the short and sweet marketing tidbits I've picked out for this Friday's 5 -- now, back to the music!

[READ] 7 Ways to get more value from your values
If they are to help you build and grow your business, your values need to be reflected in everything you do, as the leader of your company.

[READ] 8 Nuggets of advice for business success
Normally I view people’s unique experiences and advice as – well – unique, but these are some good ones to remember as you launch into or continue to grow in your professional leadership role.

[READ] Crazy people think differently
Neither Steve Jobs nor Apple nor any other high-profile innovator or company has a corner on the think-different market. In fact, a study of over 5,000 entrepreneurs and executives shows the opposite: almost anyone who consistently makes the effort to think different can think different.

[READ] Beauty business bright spots in a down economy
Consumers’ discretionary spending may have suffered a big blow during the Great Recession, but that doesn’t mean every indulgence went out the window. Two companies in the beauty industry are proving that, by targeting a niche customer base, maintaining attractive price points and sticking to what they know best, a downturn can be an opportunity for growth.

[READ] Are consumers buying American again?
In a recent poll, 97 percent of people have a favorable view of goods made in America. Approval (for American products) has skyrocketed, and part of the reason is safety. American brands stand for higher product quality, and now the average person understands that if a product is made here, it supports the economy.

Beauty BONUS [READ] Read this article for a great technique for creating a marbled finish on nails.


The 2012 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar is done and will be released within the next two weeks. It will be available on my website at www.12monthsofmarketing.net and amazon.com.

If you're not a beauty industry pro -- take heart! A 2012 Little White Lies of Marketing Calendar (for any type of business) will be released in October as well.

[ Subscribe ] to my e-mail newsletter to receive notification of either 2012 marketing calendar release or to catch next Monday's newsletter. It's going to be a great year!


Elizabeth Kraus – 12monthsofmarketing.com
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com in book and digital formats.

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(Not So) Early Look: Sigh of Relief In Germany

When the markets are volatile in the opening hour, sometimes my early post is a little late due to trading coming first. This morning I wanted to add to some hedges as I was nervous about the early gains holding.

The vote for the expansion of the EFSF was approved in Germany, which was a good sign. Some thought it might get voted down the first time, like TARP did here in the US. But Europe wasn't up all that much this morning, so I think it was the positive economic data that helped boost our markets.

Final Q2 GDP was revised upward to +1.3% from the prior reading of 1.0%. That's still sluggish growth, but it keeps the economy just above stall speed, imo. Obviously the big question for investors is the economic slowdown still ahead of us, as forecasted by things like the ECRI, stock price declines, and declines in key commodities like copper.

Pending homes sales fell less than expected at -1.2% in August. And weekly jobless claims also surprised to the upside be falling below the 400,000 level (391k).

Commodities are mixed this morning. Oil prices are higher to $82.50, while gold prices are flat near $1617. Copper prices are getting a small bounce.

The 10-year yield is hovering above the 2.00% level for a third day; and the VIX is -3% lower today, but still stubbornly close to that 40 level (39.70), signaling heightened volatility is still with us.

Trading comment: The financials were up the most this morning, so I bought some SKF just as a day-trade flier to hedge. I also added to our index etf hedges that I had taken profits on last Friday. Today is an odd day in that although the Dow is up 160 pts., the growth stocks on my screen are a sea of red. Lots of stocks are down 5-10% today, and the Chinese internet stocks are getting killed on rumors of an accounting probe.

long SKF, SH

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Coming Soon: The 2012 Marketing Calendar

I'm asked for copies of the 2011 salon and spa marketing calendar all the time, but 2011 is almost over! The 2012 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar is done and will be released within the next two weeks. It will be available on my website at www.12monthsofmarketing.net and amazon.com.

If you're not a salon or spa pro -- take heart! A 2012 Little White Lies of Marketing Calendar (which will be helpful for any type of business) will be released in October as well.

[ Subscribe ] to my e-mail newsletter to receive notification of either 2012 marketing calendar release -- it's going to be a great year!


Elizabeth Kraus – 12monthsofmarketing.com
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com in book and digital formats.

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Stocks Look Tired After Three Day Rally

The market was nicely higher in early trading, but has already given back those early gains and is now slightly in negative territory. Yesterday the SPX rallied back up to the 1195 level before losing momentum and closing at 1175.

This mornings burst of buying came on the heels of continued hope that plans in Europe are coming together and they will get the votes needed for their EFSF bailout fund.

In earnings news, both Accenture (ACN) and Jabil Circuit (JBL) reported stronger than expected earnings and their stocks are both higher.

Asian markets were mixed overnight, while Europe has been higher this morning. The dollar is roughly flat, while commodities are mostly lower. Oil prices are pulling back near the $83 level, while gold prices are also down so far to $1641.

The 10-year yield has climbed back above the 2.00% level, but just barely; and the VIX is 1.6% higher this morning to 38.35, and remains at elevated levels indicating traders continue to expect heightened volatility levels.

Trading comment: The trading range between SPX 1120-1220 has lasted for 8 weeks now and a resolution is likely to come soon. With heightened bearish sentiment among the indicators I track, I would not be surprised to see a breakout to the upside. But with the economy slowing and continued strains in the global credit market, I'm not sure how high such a breakout would even carry us. The flip side is that the market is highly news driven in this environment, and any negative developments out of Europe could push the market back to new lows in a hurry. As such, I continue to employ a balanced approach to the market as opposed to trying to get aggressive in either direction.

long SH

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Early Look: Sigh of Relief Or Just Window Dressing

The markets are up nicely again in early trading, following yesterday's roughly 275-point gain in the Dow. Currently, the Dow is up another 230 pts. CNBC said this would be the first back-to-back 200-pt gains for the Dow since 2008, which seems hard to believe, but I haven't checked.

Asian markets joined in the action overnight, rallying across the board. Hong Kong bounced by an impressive +4.2%. European markets kept the momentum going this morning, with Germany up as much as 4.3% at one point.

The gains in Europe started yesterday with the chatter that officials are putting together a plan to stabilize financial conditions. There has been chatter about a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to buy up some of the problem debt. We will have to see if this can pass, but the bank stocks are responding with gains of up to 7% today.

Consumer Confidence for September came in at 45.4, which is up slightly from last month but still a weak number overall. With all of the negative news out there, this reading isn't all that surprising. The correlation with this series and the stock market is fairly high.

Precious metals are bouncing back today, accompanied by a reprieve in the recent dollar rally. Gold prices have bounced back to $1665, and silver prices are getting a bigger bounce. The silver etf (SLV) put in a solid reversal yesterday, and is up 7% so far today. Oil prices are also higher near $83.60.

The 10-year is higher today, trying to get back to the 2.00% level. And the VIX is down -7.5% so far near the 36.0 level.

Trading comment: It's hard to tell if this week's rally thus far is truly due to a sigh of relief coming out of Europe that they are determined to get their arms around the problem, or if it is merely a bounce-back due to window dressing as underperforming portfolio managers look to put money to work after last week's outsized decline in the market. Volume on the Nasdaq rose yesterday, while NYSE volume failed to surpass Friday's level. But the list of market leading stocks remains sparse. I mentioned that I took some partial profits on our index ETF hedges last Friday, but soon I think I would look to add back to those positions.

long SLV

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Tip #3 of 3 - “How to create instant loyalty using a simple ‘storyselling’ technique”.

Look, the fact is, you are more than just a painter or painting business owner… You are a:

• Father or Mother
• Brother or Sister
• Volunteer
• Parishioner
• Sports fan
• Fisherman
• Musician
• Among SO many other things…

My point is, YOU ARE so much more than your profession… and to be honest, it is better to be ANY of these things when you walk into a prospects house to bid a paint job.

Let me explain.

When painting contractors walk into a new prospects house and instantly go into professional painting business owner mode, it creates resistance between themselves and the home owner.

…But on the other hand, when you walk into a home and you are a father or mother, uncle or aunt, etc. you are a person that the home owner can relate to.

Let me explain further.

It’s a fact that people like to do business with ‘people’ they like. Notice I said people, NOT businesses they like. If a home owner only ever sees you as a business owner, there will always be uneasiness because there is an issue of money.

On the other hand, when they see you as a human (because you tell a story that they can relate to) you become more like a friend that can be trusted.

Does that make sense?

Let me share my personal story about how I used storyselling to explode my business when I was just getting started. (You can use the storyselling technique at any stage of your business.)

Just before I moved to Michigan to start my own business, I found out that one of my Aunts had Leukemia… and I happened to be growing my hair out at the time. (I played the drums my whole life, and I still had the dream of becoming a rock star and back in the day, long hair was the look.)

When I got to Michigan, all of my extended family and friends advised me to cut my hair, as they thought it would turn people off. They said I looked like a hippy burn-out and no one would trust me or take me seriously. They said it made a bad first impression, and on and on.

I have never been one to conform to other people’s expectations, but it sounded like they may have a point. I knew the trade and how to provide a quality finished product, and I knew I was honest and trustworthy, so I was confident that I could land clients, despite the length of my hair, but the objections from my family and friends kept playing in my mind.

I always felt most comfortable with long hair (or a mohawk) but I wanted to build a successful business, so I decided to get my hair cut. Gulp! Then I got a GREAT idea!

I had learned about a charity organization called “Locks-of-Love” that takes donated hair and turns it into wigs for people with cancer who lost their hair due to radiation therapy. PERFECT!

…But, there needed to be a minimum of 10 inches of hair for them to use and at the time I only had about 8 inches. I decided that my new reason for growing my hair was so I could donate it to Locks-of-Love and have it made into a wig for my aunt!

All of a sudden I was no longer a hippy burn-out, but rather a deeply caring person contributing an unselfish act for the betterment of someone else! I was now a hero and not a hippy!

And that story became the foundation of my success early on! As soon as I walked in the door and met people face to face for the first time, I would say:

“Please excuse the length of my hair… my aunt has Leukemia and I am growing it out to donate to Locks-of-Love to be made into a wig for her.”

Do you think anyone ever saw me as a hippy? NO WAY! In fact, it gave me INSTANT credibility as the type of a kind; caring person people LOVE to do business with!

My story has changed many times over the years, but MANY of the customers I worked for so many years ago are still clients today.

Spend some time coming up with story ideas that you can use to endear yourself to prospective customers and watch your business EXPLODE!

REMEMBER people like to do business with people they like and trust… here are a few ideas to help get you started:

• Talk about how your company donates money to a local charity
• Talk about how excited you are that your company is helping raise money for some community project.
• Talk about how you’ve been working with your kids (or someone else’s kids) to learn a new language, improve at a sport, volunteer to clean up the community park, etc.

As you can see, storyselling is the MASTER KEY to unlocking the gate of resistance that stands between you and landing more paint jobs and long term clients.

I hope this tip serves you!

Please humor me for a second while I share a quick story about why I decided to create the Painting for Profits program and update it yearly to make sure it always contains the most up-to-date information working in the industry.

When I started painting professionally (at age 18) I became proficient and learned the skills very quickly. I think that had something to do with the fact that I was good with my hands from playing the drums my whole life.

After years working in the trade and learning other aspects of the business, I was at the top of the pay structure earning $27/hr with no place to go.

I was lucky coming up and I had a few REALLY Great bosses who taught me many important skills that helped me make the transition into my own business. Things like people skills, work ethic, under promising and over delivering, etc. (All of which are more important than painting skills).

The last manager I worked for really took me under his wing and showed me the big picture and the potential success that could come from owning my own business.

I remember him saying to me “Andy, if you take your painting skills, and the skills I am teaching you seriously, you can use them to build a beautiful life for yourself and your family.”

I did just that…

When I told him I was moving back to Michigan to start my own business, he was thrilled. (Bummed that he was losing such a dedicated employee, but never the less, happy for me.)

On my last day working for him he pulled me aside and told me how proud of me he was that I put so much time, energy and effort into developing my talent, and he wanted to help me get started off to a fast start with my new business.

I figured he was going to give me a nice cash bonus to help with the 1800 mile move or buy some equipment, etc.

NOPE.

What he gave me was worth so much more than a fist full of cash. He gave me his KNOWLEDGE!

Paul laid out his entire bidding and estimating strategy in step by step detail… and as he handed me the envelope, he looked me in the eye and said, “Andy, if you use this information to become successful in your own business, I want you to promise me that you will help other painters, when the time is right.”

Paul’s insider bidding and estimating secrets were instrumental in my success… in fact, they are the reason I was profitable from the very first job I landed.

I include Paul’s master outline as part of the Bid to Win Estimating system which is included in the Painting for Profits course.

The painting trade has been very good to me and my family. I have had to learn a lot through trial and error. I have spent the better part of my adult life putting time, energy and effort into figuring out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to growing a successful paint contracting business.

I created the original Painting for Profits course to help guide house painters through the process of starting a business of their own and helping them takes full control of their financial future.

Over the course of the last five years, I have updated and expanded the program to make sure it is BY FAR the best success manual on the market. A claim that has been validated by over 3,000 satisfied customers.

One of my favorite facts about the Painting for Profits systems is that they work all over the world!

We have success stories and testimonials from the U.S., Canada, Europe, U.K., Australia, New Zeeland, (even Brazil and Africa)!

I keep the cost of the program low (under $100) so anyone with the desire to side step the frustration of figuring things out through the costly process of trial and error can easily afford it. AND I stand behind P4P unconditionally with my no questions asked M O N E Y back guarantee!

If you are struggling to get (or keep) your painting business moving in the right direction, you owe it to yourself to give Painting for Profits a try. You have nothing to lose, and a more successful business to gain.

I look forward to adding you to my growing list of satisfied (successful) P4P customers!

Now go market your painting business,
Andy

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Tip #2 of 3: “The POWER of offering your customers different pricing options”

One of the key secrets of successful painting contractors is their ability to meet and work within a customer’s budget. (READ THAT AGAIN)

One of the biggest mistakes you can make bidding paint jobs is to only offer one price! (I have a feeling that this tip is going to revolutionize a lot of painting businesses.)

Look, we all know that painting is a luxury and not a necessity and when most people decide to have painting done, they know exactly what their budget is going into the project. Of course there is always a little wiggle room, but not much, so if your price is way outside the budget range, it won’t even be considered.

Pay close attention because I’m about to give you the FIX…

For example:

Let’s say you are bidding on a job to refinish/reface a bunch of kitchen cabinets. As you know there is a lot of prep work for that type of job (hinge and hardware removal and replacement, etc.) as well as a multiple step process for getting a nice looking finish.

Let’s say the cost to have your company do ALL the work is $1500.00 which could be itemized on the bid contract. Unfortunately most contractors would go in and submit a bid with a single price of $1500.00, but the SMART contractor who offers pricing options, has a much better chance of landing the job.

Let me explain.

The average home owner knows how to use a screwdriver or drill… what if you offered some kind of discount or savings option, based on the home owner removing all the hardware and taking down the cupboard doors?

Imagine how much time that would save YOU if all you had to do was drive over and load the doors and drawers into your truck and leave!

I know for a fact that MOST people want to save the hundred + dollars by doing that part of the job themselves, and since you are the only contractor who is creative, kind and caring enough to offer such an option, more times than not, you will get the job.

There are many options you can offer, here are just a few:

• Paint quality option
• Multiple payment option
• Room prep option (they move all the furniture and wall hangings, etc.)
• Paint and supply pick up option (customer picks up the paint/supplies from store)

Giving prospects a way to save some money on their project is one of the BEST ways to stand out from the competition and save you a bunch of time.

When you are sensitive or empathetic to the budgetary needs of prospects right from the get go, it builds a sense of trust and as a bonus it makes it much easier to highlight the value of the higher priced offer.

I know this tip will serve you well. Please do share your success stories with me once you start applying this powerful pricing strategy!

The next post is tip #3 of 3 – “How to create instant loyalty using a simple ‘storyselling’ technique” and I’ll share my story about why I decided to create Painting for Profits.

Now go market your painting business,
Andy

To checkout the latest promotion go to www.StartAPaintingBusiness.com and get Painting for Profits at the lowest price of the season.

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Tip #1 of 3: “Use an expiration date or deadline on ALL of your contracts/bids.”

You know as well as I do that people will drag their feet if you let them. That’s why you should NEVER submit an open ended bid/contract.

If you have been in the painting business for any length of time then you know that the price of materials (especially paint, AND GAS) can fluctuate throughout the year.

Putting an expiration date on your contracts encourages people to make a decision, or risk paying a higher price down the road.

So what is the optimal amount of time for the deadline?

Good question.

Typically you don’t want to go much shorter than 15 days... and certainly no longer than 30 days, because the last thing you want to do is keep bugging someone to see if they made a decision.

I personally like 30 days because it gives a good solid follow up time schedule.

If you don’t hear back within 15 days make a follow up call letting them know you would love to secure them in your schedule.

On a side note, you can even at that point offer some kind of special promotion to create even more urgency. (I give you over a dozen promotion ideas inside Painting for Profits.)

If you are unable to get a firm commitment on that first follow up call, let them know that you will be making another follow up call “just before the deadline expires on the estimate.” Then make one last follow up call a few days before the contract expires.

If the prospect still can’t make a decision or they decided to go with another company, simply file the bid contract away into a “FUTURE CUSTOMER” file that you will follow up with again later in the year, with another type of offer.

You do follow up with ALL of your NO’s don’t you? You should! Not only is it a great source of information about your marketplace, and it doesn’t cost anything to send an email with multiple types of offers throughout the year.

RECAP: Never submit an open ended bid/contract... ALWAYS use some kind of deadline to create urgency!

Be sure to read my next post: Tip #2 of 3 – “The POWER of offering your customers different pricing options”

Now go market your painting business,
Andy

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Monday Morning Musings

The market got a nice bounce out of the gate, but so far it has been short-lived as the volatility remains high and the enthusiasm is proving elusive. There was no real news out of Europe over the weekend, and the fact that no news is sometimes good news may have helped spark a relief rally.

Asian markets were lower across the board overnight, but Europe has been higher this morning, with Germany rallying as much as 2.7%. There has been talk that eurozone officials may be preparing new steps aimed at shoring up the fiscal and financial conditions across the pond, but no definitive news yet.

After last weeks sharp selloff, the markets are pretty oversold and it wouldn't take much to see a bounce this week, especially with quarter-end at the end of the week.

Precious metals remain under pressure, with gold prices dropping below the $1600 mark, and silver prices continuing last week's swoon so far.

The 10-year yield is higher to 1.86%; and the VIX is higher also, up another +3.5% to 42.70.

Financials are actually bucking the weakness so far and leading the early action. Technology shares are lagging, led by Apple (AAPL) where there is chatter of production cuts in iPad2s. Somehow I'm not buying that, as I think they are going to sell every single one they can produce.

Trading comment: The SPX held the 1120 level again last week, and is trying to build on its bounce since then. With the VIX this high, traders are still expecting large swings this week. My gut tells me after last week's sharp selloff, the surprise move this week should be to the upside. But it sure would be nice to have a catalyst for it. I took some small trading profits on our index etf hedges last week, but would likely look to add them back if we get the bounce I am looking for. Engine room...more steam!

long AAPL, GLD, SH, SLV

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Early Look: Stocks Bounce From Key Support

If you were up early enough to see the S&P futures before the open, it looked like the market was going to open lower again. But as the open of trading drew closer, the futures began to slowly improve. In the first hour of trading, the SPX came close to testing that 1120 level again but has since climbed back into positive territory.

Industrials, which have been hit really hard this week, are leading the early action. While energy stocks continue to lag here. The Nasdaq is outperforming the S&P so far also.

There hasn't been a lot in the way of market moving news this morning. Nike (NKE) posted better than expected earnings, and MCD raised its dividend. But there haven't been any economic reports to speak of.

Two times in August the SPX came down to test the 1120 level but held there. Yesterday and today (so far) the market has held those levels again. So it will be interesting to see if the market again bounces higher from here next week (into quarter-end), or if the third time down testing these levels is going to finally give way and we see a break.

Asian markets were lower overnight, and Europe is lower this morning as well. The dollar is lower today, but not really helping commodities much. Oil prices are struggling to hold the $80 level, and gold prices have pulled back further to $1675. Silver has also gotten hammered this week, and I am buying a little for a bounce.

The 10-year yield is bouncing a bit to 1.80%; and the VIX is only down -1.6% to a still high level above 40.

Trading comment: No sense making any big moves today. The market has been down a LOT this week, so it is normal to see some short-covering ahead of the weekend. But we are in that time period where there could be big news any weekend out of Europe, so I don't think many people are going to take big positions on this Friday. More likely, investors are going to square up their exposures, and try to be as flat as possible to minimize the overnight risk. Rest up, next week promises to be another fun one.

long SH, SLV

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Basics: Build Your Electronic Marketing Toolbox

Long gone are the days when your marketing could be confined to the occasional postcard, flyer and yellow pages listing.

It's never been easier to get your marketing messages out into the public sphere; but for the same reason, it's never been more difficult to get your messages noticed.

You can't afford to believe that you don't need an electronic marketing toolbox stuffed to the gills with hard-working tools in prime condition; tools that you'll take out and put to work nearly every day.

Here are the basics plus an overview of the 4 most popular forms of social media marketing, so that you'll know where to start:

• A website. You need your own domain name and your own website. Contrary to popular myth, neither a blog site nor a Facebook page are substitutes for having your own domain name and your own website. You need to own your own electronic space, even if it's no more than a few simple but well-designed and engaging pages.
• E-mail marketing. Again, social media is not a substitute, it's an alternative. E-mail marketing is powerful; it gives your business a voice and the means to send your customers valuable information as well as compelling offers.

Confused by all the options when it comes to social media?

Take heart: in 2011, Social Media Examiner (www.socialmediaexaminer.com) published a social media marketing industry report which demonstrates the usefulness of social media for business. Findings showed that these are the 4 most popular, effective social media sites for business:

1. Facebook. Check out these stats from hubspot.com: 1 out of every 8 minutes spent online, is spent on Facebook, and 93% of US internet users are there. Especially for B2C (businesses that sell directly to consumers), your marketing plan must include a Facebook presence and strategy.
   
   A "hard sales" voice is likely to turn off your audience, big time. As you use social media tools, remember the key word: social. It's a privilege to engage with people on social media; they are, in essence, inviting you into personal areas of their lives. It's as though they've invited you into their living rooms or you've met at a party at a friend's house. They want to get to know you, but they aren't there for a sales pitch.
   
   Use Facebook to engage people who like you, share expert information, make announcements, solicit feedback and use the personality of your business to attract prospects. Use giveaways and contests to spark engagement, increase your following and viral "shares," improve business during slow hours and stimulate event RSVPs.
   
   My recommendation is that you update your business Facebook page at least once a day (twice would be better, more if you want) with things like links to your blog posts, your e-mail newsletter, useful information or changes on your website, links to online resources relative to the products or services you sell (such as manufacturer links and news), community resources and events, fun facts, trivia and other entertaining items.


2. Twitter updates are like social media posts with A.D.D. With just 140 characters per post, it's likely that most of your updates will consist of a short headline and a link to a post on your Blog, useful information on your website or to other articles and online resources that would interest your customers.
   
   Twitter won't take up a lot of time and helps to share your website, blog,
   e-mail marketing and social media posts farther and wider. And you can use contests and giveaways to help motivate people to 'retweet' your posts and to build a following.


3. LinkedIn is the tool of choice when it comes to networking with peers and professionals. It doesn't have to take up a lot of time and you can (and should) cross post from your website, e-mail newsletters and blog.
   
   Focus on building your reputation as an expert in your field, and on linking to others in your industry (customers, suppliers, educators and experts). In updates, link to your blog posts, useful information on your website, invite people to follow your Blog, Twitter or subscribe to e-mails, or post links to other interesting articles.
   
   Having an active presence on LinkedIn is especially important for those in B2B (business to business) sales because of its effectiveness in targeting your news feed to and from business owners and other professionals in your own industry. You build a network by requesting and responding to friend requests, and LinkedIn helps you out by suggesting other people you might want to connect with based on your own connections.


4. Blogging is a great way to build your reputation as an expert and to educate your customers and prospects about your business and the products or services you provide.
   
   Focus on building awareness and enhancing your expert reputation. Write about things that would be of interest to your customers and prospects who fall in your ideal target market(s). Write blog posts to give people the skinny on new products, services, trends, fads, how-to and step-by-steps, and do it all in your own voice.
   
   After you add a post to your blog, put a teaser line and link to it on your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter status updates. Try to add interesting information to your blog at least once a week, twice is better, and a few paragraphs is plenty!

Any time you add social media tools to your toolbox, add links to your social media profiles on your website and include them in your e-mail newsletter. Make it as easy as possible for those who are interested in you and your business to learn more about you, follow your business and engage with you online. Build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients!



Subscribe to have next Monday's newsletter delivered right to your email inbox. It's free, you can opt out any time, and I probably won't bother you more than once each week!

Elizabeth Kraus – 12monthsofmarketing.com
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com in book and digital formats.

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Friday's 5 - Marketing Shorts and Sweets

Say it isn't so! If I was whining last week, I'm whimpering this week about needing more day in my days and more days in my week. We'll see if I can't sprint through today to catch up, in the meantime I have 5 great links to share with you to put a bright little happy face right at the end of your week!


[READ] 1 of every 8 minutes spent online, is spent on Facebook
Facebook dominated headlines this week, so you can't expect me to do any different. With stats from HubSpot like these, every business should be figuring out how to leverage the Facebook crowd.


[READ] Not Google+ : The world's first anti-social network
I don't watch a lot of videos online, but this one is worth it — especially if you're hankering for a Facebook-free weekend. Just think: what could you do if you joined not?


[READ] Top 5 hairy fairy tTales (even kids appreciate great hair!)
Ok, so one of these 'fairy tales' is actually a Bible story, but I'm glad they didn't leave out the men!


[READ] Most patriotic cities in the USA
Rankings achieved through such factors as volunteer rates, spending on vets, voter turnout, flag sales and (of all things) fireworks spending, Portland, Salt Lake and Kansas City round out the top 3. Find out who else made the list and check out some of the country’s most iconic landmarks.


[READ] 10 things you need to do more of, right NOW!
Do these 10 things more and right now — or right after you read this post, whichever comes first — because tomorrow might be too late. (Thank you for this one, Peter Shankman!)



Subscribe to have next Monday's newsletter delivered right to your email inbox. It's free, you can opt out any time, and I probably won't bother you more than once each week!

Elizabeth Kraus – 12monthsofmarketing.com
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com in book and digital formats.

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Mid-Day Update: Europe Hogging The Spotlight

The global selloff started last night in Asia, partially in response to the selloff here in the U.S. but some slowing economic data didn't help the situation. When Europe opened early this morning, its markets were also down sharply.

The concerns about Europe are not going away, and I get the sense that the authorities over there aren't willing to do something "big" without the cover of a major disaster. Whether its a Greek default or a major financial institution in trouble, the potential outcomes are equally unpleasant to this investor.

The market seemed as if it was hanging around to see if the Fed might pull a surprise rabbit out of the hat. When the news came out yesterday about Operation Twist, the selling picked up steam. But the buying into long-date Treasuries picked up with a vengeance. This morning, the yield on the 10-year Note has fallen to a record low of 1.77%.

Commodities are also down sharply today. Oil prices have fallen back to $81.25, while gold prices are now down near $1733. The gold etf (GLD) is sitting just below its 50-day average.

The VIX has spiked higher again this morning, up 8.5% right now to 40.50. Interestingly, if you look at the VIX chart, today's action so far looks like a 4th lower high.

Trading comment: During the recent market rally I had been writing that I didn't want to get sucked in, and that I was trimming equity exposure and adding to our index hedges. That makes me feel at least a little better on days like today, when my screen shows a sea of red. I still think we could see some buying surface as we near quarter-end, but I would continue to employ the same strategy. Any buys I may look at on the long side will have a short leash attached.

Disclosure: Jordan Kahn and/or KAM clients are long GLD, SH though positions can change at any time

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FOMC To Commence "Operation Twist" To The Tune of $400 billion

Here is the latest statement from the FOMC:

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in August indicates that economic growth remains slow. Recent indicators point to continuing weakness in overall labor market conditions, and the unemployment rate remains elevated. Household spending has been increasing at only a modest pace in recent months despite some recovery in sales of motor vehicles as supply-chain disruptions eased. Investment in nonresidential structures is still weak, and the housing sector remains depressed. However, business investment in equipment and software continues to expand. Inflation appears to have moderated since earlier in the year as prices of energy and some commodities have declined from their peaks. Longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable.

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. The Committee continues to expect some pickup in the pace of recovery over coming quarters but anticipates that the unemployment rate will decline only gradually toward levels that the Committee judges to be consistent with its dual mandate. Moreover, there are significant downside risks to the economic outlook, including strains in global financial markets. The Committee also anticipates that inflation will settle, over coming quarters, at levels at or below those consistent with the Committee's dual mandate as the effects of past energy and other commodity price increases dissipate further. However, the Committee will continue to pay close attention to the evolution of inflation and inflation expectations.

To support a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at levels consistent with the dual mandate, the Committee decided today to extend the average maturity of its holdings of securities. The Committee intends to purchase, by the end of June 2012, $400 billion of Treasury securities with remaining maturities of 6 years to 30 years and to sell an equal amount of Treasury securities with remaining maturities of 3 years or less. This program should put downward pressure on longer-term interest rates and help make broader financial conditions more accommodative. The Committee will regularly review the size and composition of its securities holdings and is prepared to adjust those holdings as appropriate.

To help support conditions in mortgage markets, the Committee will now reinvest principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities. In addition, the Committee will maintain its existing policy of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction.

The Committee also decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that economic conditions--including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run--are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through mid-2013.

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Key Findings From IDC's 2011 Tech Marketing Benchmarks Study

Between May 15th and July 31st, 2011, IDC's CMO Advisory Group fielded its 9th annual Tech Marketing Benchmarks Study. More than 100 tech companies representing about $850B in revenue responded, making this the CMO Advisory Group's most successful benchmarking study to date. The average revenue for companies in this data set is $9.5B, and these data include companies ranging from less than $500M to about $100B. Technology hardware, software, and services companies with both direct and indirect channel strategies are represented in the database. The following are some key findings from IDC's 2011 Tech Marketing Benchmarks Study.

Marketing investment growth in 2011 is lagging revenue growth at 3.5% and 6.5% respectively. Moreover, the 3.5% marketing investment change figure is significantly lower than tech marketer's sentiments in January of 2011, when they reported expectations of an 8% increase to marketing budgets. In past years, IDC's CMO Advisory Group has observed that marketing investment growth generally tracks revenue growth, but that trend has not re-emerged since the recession. Larger companies in particular are experiencing weak marketing investment growth. Companies with revenues between $3B and $9.9B are reporting marketing investment changes of only 2.1%, and companies with revenues greater than $10B are even less at 1.7%. Smaller companies are investing more heavily; companies with less than $500M, between $500M and $999M, and $3B to $2.9B in revenues have average marketing investment changes of 10%, 8.1%, and 7%. Services companies have the weakest marketing investment growth in 2011, however, with an average of -1%.

IDC's CMO Advisory Service tracks a series of key performance indicators that marketing executives should monitor closely in their own organizations. The following are some key observations on changes to top-line key performance indicators in 2011:

• Marketing Budget Ratios, which are calculated by dividing total marketing spend by revenue, are decreasing in 2011 because revenue growth is outpacing revenue growth.
•  IDC's Awareness-Demand Ratio, which calculates the total amount of marketing spend dedicated to awareness building activities versus demand generating activities is at 52%, which means that the focus this year has shifted to Awareness. Last year, marketers were favoring Demand.
•  Program-to-People Ratios, which show the percentage of total marketing spend that is directed towards programs, have increased year over year to 60%. The main contributor to the increase in this ratio in 2011 is the increase in Awareness generating activities such as Advertising, which are more program-spend heavy.

Digital Marketing Program spend--defined as display ads, search ads, email marketing, digital events, company web sites, search engine optimization, and social networks--continues to increase rapidly. In 2010 digital marketing accounted for 19.3% of total program spend, but in 2011 this number has risen to 26.4%. Advertising program spend, which includes display ads and search ads in addition to traditional advertising mediums, has also increased year over year. This finding is consistent with the overall increase in Awareness activities. Marketing organizations are also allocating more spend to web site content and development this year, which is now 8.2% of the total marketing program spend mix.

IDC's CMO Advisory Service has also observed changes to marketing staff allocations in 2011, see below for some highlights:

·    Web site content and development is not only a key area of program spend investment--marketing departments have also increased their staff allocations in this area to 5.6%. IDC believes that this is a positive change, since IDC's 2011 Buyer Experience Study revealed that the first place prospects turn to for information is a company's web site.

·      Marketing operations has experienced growth for a number of years, but this trend seems to be leveling off as the position matures. Marketing operations currently accounts for 5.3% of total marketing staff which is a decrease from last year's allocation. IDC does not believe that companies are actually reducing marketing operations staff; the cause of the year over year decrease is a combination of other staffing categories increasing more rapidly and an IDC taxonomy change to include a new category called marketing IT.

·       The CMO Advisory Group has been championing sales enablement for the past few years. In 2010 sales enablement accounted for 3.1% of the total staff mix, but since then this allocation has risen to 3.7%.

These are only a few of the findings uncovered by IDC's 2011 Tech Marketing Benchmarks Study. For more information, or to participate in upcoming IDC studies please contact Joseph Ferrantino at jferrantino@idc.com.

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Early Look: Tech Relative Outperformance Continues

The market was briefly higher in early trading, but has since dipped back into negative territory. Actually, the SPX is lower on the day right now, but the Nazz is still barely in positive territory.

Tech is handily outperforming today, and continuing the relative sector outperformance that we have seen of late. Materials are taking it on the chin so far this morning. The poster child for the group could be Freeport McMoran (FCX) which is down more than -5% as copper prices have plunged recently and there is chatter of slowing demand from big players like China.

In corporate news, solid earnings reports from ORCL, ADBE, and GIS have boosted all three of those stocks this morning. Also, Microsoft raised its quarterly dividend by 25%, but so far its not helping the stock.

In economic news, new home sales came in better than expected at 5.03 million units in August, which is up from last months rate of 4.67 million units. Not bad for a month like August, when it seemed like bad news was everywhere.

Asian markets were mixed overnight, but China was able to rally 2.7%. Europe's markets are down again this morning despite EU officials saying they believe progress is being made on Greece's debt.

The dollar is higher this morning, and commodities are mixed. Oil prices are higher near $87.88, while gold prices are lower to $1797.

The 10-year yield is lower again to 1.91%, and getting close to hitting new lows in yield. The VIX is bouncing higher from its 50-day average, up 4.5% to 34.38.

The Fed will make its policy statement today and there is a ton of chatter about "Operation Twist", where the Fed might sell short-dated Treasuries and buy long-dated ones. With yields on the 10-year already below 2.00%, I'm not sure how big of an effect this could possibly have. If it spurs more bank lending, I'm all for it, but it would seem there might be a better solution if increased bank lending is truly the aim. Let's see what the Bernank has to say about it.

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The Most Important Eyeballs Are Your Own.

Forget focus groups, quantitative research and ethnography, the future of marketing lies with noise-cancelling headphones. Yesterday, I donned a pair as part of this art installation at St Pancras station and I saw the light.

The idea of the piece was to transpose the characters from the headphones onto the people moving through the station, its retail units and its food outlets. For a while it worked very well, but then I realised I was cancelling out the soundtrack and focusing solely on the silent interaction of the people around me.

Without the overhearings and the hubbub, it was a different sort of noticing - something akin to that experience of being in a country where you don't speak the language, but without the helplessness.

As long as you remember to leave your preconceptions at the door, you can learn a lot from the mass of non-verbal communication that's highlighted by the silence. It's not the future of marketing research, but it is revelatory.

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The Customer Cloud: The Killer App for the Social Enterprise

The old two-step marketing and sales model for customer creation is dead. Today we have a three part model: Socializing, Marketing, and Sales – with socializing taking on increasing importance and marketing being redefined in the process. That’s a good thing for customers but it makes the market more competitive for sellers. Companies have to seek out and engage with both existing and potential customers in radically new ways outside of explicit business contexts with resources previously not thought of as customer facing.

This activity is going on today at a furious pace, but it is highly fragmented. With the introduction by Salesforce.com of Data.com and the social ready rebuild of Database.com at Dreamforce, as well their Chatter and CRM capabilities, customer interactions will come together in what is emerging as the Customer Cloud – the first killer app for the social enterprise.

The Customer Cloud will evolve into the source of record for all account and contact data because it can provide the Holy Grail of the customer creation process – the unified customer record. As a result, it will be the centering point for all customer interactions. It is definitive because:

• It is self-regulating – contacts update their own data via social tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. greatly improving data accuracy and timeliness
• It is real time – individuals have a vested interest in updating their social profiles asap
• It has practically infinite scalability and reach.
• It is equally available to all customer facing functions from marketing to sales, as well as fulfillment, finance, service and support, etc.
• It provides insight into relationships – account contacts can be sustained and expanded even in the face of departures, and corporate hierarchies can be better understood and tracked.

A unified customer record provides the basis for breaking down the discrepancies, decay, and dysfunction that currently plague (or prevent the implementation of) enterprise customer creation processes, especially in B2B. It offers companies the potential to coordinate all of their customer facing activities around a single source of information – the lack of which has been the Achilles Heel in all previous efforts in CRM, data warehousing, and other valiant attempts to unify customer facing functions.

Thus at Dreamforce, the announcements of Data.com and the social data readiness of Database.com are major strategic milestones for Salesforce.com. With the addition of the Radian 6 social monitoring last year, this neatly rounds out a very strong play for leadership in the battle to deliver the Customer Cloud and provide the customer facing infrastructure of the future that will be build upon it.

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Early Look: Italy's Downgrade Priced In

The market was slightly lower in early trading, but has since bounced back into positive territory. Asian markets were lower overnight, but Europe was actually higher this morning.

Europe's rally is somewhat surprising given that Italy had its debt rating downgraded last night by Moody's. Speculation about this downgrade has been talked about since last week, so it wasn't a total surprise. And news that Greece is closer to an austerity plan that will help them secure aid seems to be trumping the news on Italy today.

Healthcare stocks are leading the early action, while industrials are lagging. The dollar is also lower today, helping to push oil prices back towards $86.60 and gold prices back above the $1800 level.

The Fed will start its 2-day meeting today with its latest policy statement tomorrow afternoon. There is a lot of chatter about 'Operation Twist', so we will have to see how much detail the Fed gives us as well as their expectations for what they think this will accomplish.

The SPX is still trading below its 50-day average resistance, currently around 1223. For its part, the Nazz is enjoying its thirds straight day above its 50-day and showing relative outperformance over the SPX recently.

Trading comment: Yesterday, while the overall market was lower there was a growing handful of growth stocks bucking the broad weakness and trading higher. This is a positive sign for the bulls, and could continue into quarter-end as portfolio managers look to add performance after underperforming recently.

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Early Look: Renewed Worries Over Greece

The markets are sharply lower this morning on the heels of overnight losses in Asian markets last night as well as pronounced weakness in Europe this morning. Last week was a nice reprieve to the selling, as the markets bounced back 5%. But this morning there are renewed worries about Greece's ability to meet its debt obligations.

President Obama is set to deliver a speech about balancing the federal budget, which will include some ideas for new taxes on the "rich". Don't expect this to do much of anything to help the markets.

Outside of that, there isn't a ton of news. There was some M&A speculation that Goodrich (GR) will get a bid, and Tyco is set to spit itself up. But most of the days action is simply sentiment driven.

The dollar is higher today relative to the euro and yen. And commodities are lower. Oil prices have fallen back to $85, while gold prices are also lower near $1785.

As for the 10-year yield, is has fallen back below the 2.00% level and currently is hitting 1.96%. The VIX bounced off its 50-day average and is up 12% right now to 34.75.

Trading comment: It was a little uncomfortable to remain so defensive last week as the market climbed higher for 5 straight days. But without any improvement on the fundamental front, it seemed that any bit of bad news to resurface could knock the market right back down. That is the feeling I have this morning, although technically the market is still in this rangebound battle. SPX 1140 has been holding in as support while 1230 has been resistance. As the range narrows, we will get closer to a breakout. The high levels of bearish sentiment support a breakout to the upside, but the fragility of the market make it a tough bet.

long SH

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This week's style, strategy and marketing savvy newsletter - September 19

In this week's style, strategy and marketing savvy newsletter, you'll find:

Original Content:
- Niche marketing ideas that should be music to your ears
- The one competition you can't afford to lose

Plus more success strategies:
- Show us your red lips (4 Facebook contests that worked)
- How consumers are interacting with brands on Facebook
- The four P's of a fully-alive business
- Five reasons why websites still matter
- I already know you're an expert
- Ten principles to live by in fiercely complex times

[Click here] to go to the newsletter and read the articles.

Find more ideas and inspiration, subscribe to e-mails, read my blogs, connect with me on Facebook or visit 12monthsofmarketing.com.

It's going to be a great year!
Elizabeth Kraus

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Early Look: Europe Considering TALF-like Program

The markets have been volatile again in early trading. Coming off the heels of very solid rallies in Asia and Europe, our markets began to climb in the first hour of trading but so far traders have sold into that rally and pushed the indexes back to the flat line.

It's very possible that folks are nervous about going long into the weekend, given that any piece of bad news to surface out of Europe over the weekend could hit the markets come Monday morning. Also, the markets have put in a very nice week already, with the major indexes up roughly 5% for the week so far.

Asian markets rallied overnight after news that the major central banks would provide dollar liquidity to Euro banks. Europe also rallied again today on news that a TALF-like program is also being considered in Europe.

In economic news, the Consumer Sentiment Survey for August actually rose to 57.8 from 55.7 last month. Go figure, someone must be looking at the silver lining out there.

The dollar is higher today, while commodities are mixed. Oil prices are lower near $88 right now, while gold prices are trying to get back to the $1800 level, still trading slightly below that.

The 10-year yield had a nice rise yesterday, and is hovering near 2.07%; and the VIX came all the way down to 30 this morning before bouncing higher as it approached its 50-day average.

Trading comment: A lot of people are watching key technical levels right now. The SPX needs to get above its late August highs at SPX 1230 to signal more upside. So far today it has been unable to hold the upside momentum. As for the Nasdaq, 2600 has been upside resistance of late. But the growth index is actually above those levels this morning, and sitting right on its 50-day average. Looks like we will have to wait until next week to see if the market can build on this week's gains.

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Friday's 5 - Marketing Shorts and Sweets

I'm in denial, and I will thank you to let me live in a space where it cannot possibly be Friday, because I did not get enough done this week. I once commented to a boss that I wished I had 36 hours in each day, so I could get more done. She pointed out that even if I had 36 hours every day, I'd only take on more so it would never be enough.

Point made! So to help you make the most of the hours you have today, here are 5 short and sweet marketing treats for one last bit of inspiration or a head start on the week to come.

[READ] Thanks for the Ideas, Google+! Facebook's New Subscribe Button and Friends Features
Facebook has launched a Subscribe button that lets you follow the public updates of others, regardless of whether you’re “friends.” What’s more, they’ll soon be rolling out new ways for you to manage your contact lists.


[READ] Top 10 Trends from Fashion Week
No matter what line of work you're in, getting a bead on current fashion isn't about vanity, it's about building your personal brand and reinforcing your role as an expert, advisor, mentor and influencer in the lives of your clients and staff. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you dress for success in the coming months.


[READ] "No" -- and 7 Other Things You Shouldn't Say to Customers
Great customer relationships: Hard to establish, easy to ruin — especially when you say the wrong things. Here are eight things you should never say to customers (even if you would secretly love to!)


[READ] 20 Ways to Promote Your Facebook Page
Unless you have a built-in audience like big-boy brands Coke or Red Bull, you’ll need to educate your fan base on how to find you on Facebook. Even if you only put a few of these ideas into action, you’ll start seeing growth and increased conversation on your fan page.


[READ] Facebook vs. LinkedIn Smackdown: You Make the Call
This social media “smackdown” infographic can help you decide where to invest for your B2B or B2C focus.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
(T.S. Eliot)

What risk will you take today?



Elizabeth Kraus – 12monthsofmarketing.com
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com in book and digital formats.

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