Lakeshore Garden Space

 Tony Rubleski, MindCapture Group

Following are 3 smart strategies when marketing in a recession:

1. Focus more marketing dollars and attention on existing clients. Beside referrals, here’s a quick Mind Capture reminder list of zero and low cost strategies you can do to stay in touch with clients and key referral partners:

*Use a monthly newsletter or eletter to keep people updated
*Send a press release to your local media monthly or at least once a quarter
*Update your website with great content to educate and serve clients and prospects
*Host a client appreciation event with key business partners
*Send your top clients a thank you card or note of appreciation for their business
*Partner with a non-profit in your community that needs funding and positive PR
*Have a sale or special event exclusively for your best clients
*Sponsor a chamber of commerce event and invite key clients and prospects to attend as your guest Read the rest of this entry »

by Amanda Chocko

The holiday season is here and the invitations are pouring in-let the networking begin! This is a great time to meet new people and re-connect with the those you already know. Below are a few tips to help you continue to grow your business network and have a great time doing it. Read the rest of this entry »

 By Tony Rubleski, MindCapture Group

We live in an interesting age. We have more information and resources available than at any other time in history, yet most people feel overwhelmed or flat out lost as to how to use it to their advantage. Humans at their core absolutely dislike and rebel at change. There is another way. Those that thrive on change in this age of information and media overload have developed powerful new thought patterns and beliefs to make information a tool of opportunity and abundance, not a handicap. Read the rest of this entry »

By Pranay Rajgarhia,

s engineering a screw same as requirements gathering for a supplier software? Let us look at it in the following categories
1. Pain: ‘Who has’ or ‘What are’ the major issues:
a. Software: A list of major issues that people who are going to use the software will face.
b. Manufacturing: A list of major issues that will arise by using this screw to join two machines.
2. Interdependencies: Who or What will be affected by each of the issues: Read the rest of this entry »

By Amanda Chocko

As an entrepreneur, having strong leadership skills is imperative.  Even if you do not have any employees, you must lead your business by interacting with clients, vendors, contractors and prospects.  Recently, I attended a seminar where the speaker handed out an index card titled “The Leadership Test”.   The purpose of the index card is to keep it on your desk and take the test each night before you go home.  I encourage you to read these questions every morning before you begin your day, and again before you leave your office.  Here is the test: Read the rest of this entry »

by Mark De Roo, Advisor

Do certain things stick in your mind?  Sure they do.  Here’s a headline from my hometown newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch that has stayed in my mind since high school:  Sneezing in St. Louis Causes a Thunderstorm in Shanghai.    As a weather-wannabe, that headline grabbed me.

In reading the article, it was all about how the pressure exerted when sneezing (obviously, the person has no manners and didn’t cover his/her mouth!) can change the molecular structure of the immediate molecules in the area-which impact the air molecules in the St. Louis area-which then alter the molecular composition of water particles in Missouri-which then change the air environment of the entire Midwest-which then adjusts things for the entire North American continent-which travels ¾ of the way around the world with such force that a thunderstorm is created over the Himalayas and eventually dumps a ton of water on Shanghai.  Now, that’s some type of sneeze!   Read the rest of this entry »

TONY RUBLESKI, GUEST BLOGGER

I’m often asked by challenged CEO’s, VP’s of sales and marketing, and non-profit leaders within many organizations the same question when it comes to marketing. “Tony, how do we get people to pay attention to us?”

This to me is often a three, five or ten year problem in the making that I can’t solve with a simple five-minute solution. I often throw back when asked this the question: “How are you tracking and handling leads?” I do this not to confuse, but more importantly to get a quick read on a potential problem that’s much deeper than the best marketing could ever help to solve. Read the rest of this entry »

 TONY RUBLESKI, GUEST BLOGGER

Yes, the famous quote from former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been on my mind lately when I meet with business and non-profit leaders to discuss marketing strategies and the present state of the U.S. economy. I get various reports from many of them on how sales and profits are doing. Many economists are now saying we’re in a recession and that the future is grim. While my opinion is just that, I want to push you to think differently in a market that has obvious challenges and opportunities at the same time.

So let me ask you a direct question: What is your business or non-profit doing to not just maintain but grow right now? This isn’t a practical joke. I’m going to jump on my little soapbox with this blog post today because frankly, I’m getting tired of the fear and excuses being made by people from all sectors complaining about the economy, gas prices, inflation, and most of all their sales. Read the rest of this entry »

Joseph Lampen, Advisor

Over the last several years as a commercial lender I’ve had the pleasure of helping many individuals obtain financing for their investments or businesses. I have heard many of the same things over and over to the point it’s a comedy when the words come out of a borrower’s mouth. There’s nothing inherently wrong with making these statements, its not like you’ll be denied if you catch yourself saying them. There are just some better ways to present yourself and your proposal when meeting with a banker. Here are some of my favorite comments and suggested alternative advice:

1. “These projections are really conservative.” Yep, I know. They always are because everyone is conservative. Is it because we live in West Michigan? The reality is, though, that you shouldn’t have to be ‘conservative’ or ‘liberal’, just rational. If you’ve done your homework, you should be able to project your revenues and expenses fairly accurately in a base case. From there you can prepare an upside surprise or a downside shock to evaluate the different effects certain events might have on the operational cash flow of your business. Read the rest of this entry »

TONY RUBLESKI, GUEST BLOGGER

I’d like to share with you Five Proven Ways To Stay In Touch With Key Customers, Prospects and Referral Partners

I’ve been traveling a lot lately and I wanted to give you an in-depth article of immense value, if applied, to make up for lost time.

I’m absolutely amazed at the large number of businesses that take their customers, prospects and referral partners for granted. In the non-profit world the same mentality is often seen in relation to donors, volunteers and key board members. I know I sound like a broken record to many loyal readers of this blog, but here are three key reasons why tightening the bond of communication with those who influence, shape or spend money with you is a smart marketing strategy: Read the rest of this entry »