The Backup Plan February 2014

Branding

Branding, product recognition, visibility these are all terms we hear constantly in the marketing world but what is it all really about?  First of all branding and product recognition have to do with how recognizable your brand, logo or actual company is, this is based heavily on visibility.  The more in front of your customers face you are the more recognizable you will become.  This is true even on a subconscious level, which is the purpose of those giant billboards we see all the time on the interstate or on our way into the city.  Ultimately what is the most important is the association your clients have with your brand, when they see your logo what are the feelings they have?

Visibility is tremendously important for any business or product.  After all if people don’t see your product or know about it how are they going to buy it?  Visibility and product recognition are achieved through various methods, 90% of which are relating to marketing and sales efforts.  Some of the more common examples are print ads, television and radio commercials, and of course social media.  Experts say it takes seven touches before you can make a sale, in other words people have to have seen or been exposed to your product at least seven times before they feel comfortable enough to make a purchase.  Now this of course is not true for everyone some people are much more impulsive then others, and some take a lot more then seven touches, but it seems to be a pretty accurate average.

Branding is a bit more complicated.  Branding has to do with product recognition and visibility.  It encompasses the above-mentioned marketing tactics but it also has to do with the quality of the product and customer service.  Branding is the feeling one gets when they see your logo or your product and the association they make.  Yes it has to do with identifying the Nike swoosh with the popular sneaker company but it also has to do with a negative or positive association.  When you see the Nike swoosh do you think of a quality product?  That is branding.

Branding is important because it is not something easily faked.  If you have a good product or service people will know it, if you offer poor quality merchandise people will eventually come to realize that as well.  Good advertising, and just getting your name out there via the right platforms and mediums can increase product recognition and visibility.  Branding is something that becomes defined over time through consistent service, it falls upon you to make sure that the service or the product is a good one.  

All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2013 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!

by Jarrad Kulick

Why Bad Hires Only Get Worse

As a manger or business owner it often falls upon us to hire new employees, unfortunately not everyone will work out to our expectations.  The real problem manifests after time, when you realize that he or she will not be right for the position but still you hope for the best, not wanting to admit to making a mistake.  Despite knowing better, that bad hire lingers on.

This happens for a multitude of reasons, first of all most people interview well.  Very rarely will you sit across the negotiating table from someone who is telling you that they cant or wont do the work expected of them.  Ultimately it comes down to the realization that actions speak louder then words, even though my new sales manger said he could bring in 2 million dollars more gross profit his numbers are still stagnate.  This happens often.  It can also be a case of misunderstanding or poor communication both on the hiring managers part and on the hire’s end.  The new person may not understand what is expected of them and they may have been doomed from the start.

The real question is why are these individuals not terminated as soon as their ineptitude manifests?  There are three main reasons why bad hires tend to linger on.  The first is that as managers (like most people) we hate to admit we made a mistake, and firing someone that did not work out, that you hired, is admitting to having bad judgment or making a mistake.  The second reason is that most people don’t like to hurt another persons feelings, they know that ending someone’s work career can be devastating and most will look to avoid it at all costs.  Finally one of the most common reasons a bad hire will last for months and even years after their inability is revealed is that we all hope.  We want that person to work out for so many reasons we keep telling ourselves that eventually they will get it, but 9 times out of 10 they never do.

Understand this, not only are you hurting the company you’re other employees and yourself by hanging on to someone who is clearly not working out, but you are hurting that individual as well.   Even though we hate to admit mistakes or we may not want to give up hope, someone who is not working out needs to be excised as soon as possible for the good of everyone.  The longer you keep someone who is clearly not capable of doing what you need done, the more damage you are going to do to all involved.

All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2013 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!

by Jarrad Kulick 

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is Facebook’s most recent and most expensive purchase to date, at $19 billion what is so valuable about this platform that most of us have never even heard of.  $19 billion in stock and cash is no small sum and although the network boasts over 400 million users the $19 billion number still sounds incredibly high.  With no plans to allow advertising on the network, and an impressive but not justifying user base, what is so great about Zuckerberg’s latest purchase?

Well lets start with identifying exactly what WhatsApp is, essentially it is a replacement for text messaging.  It gets rid of the pay-per-text model and allows users to message one another as long as they have another users phone number, a cheaper way to text.  The trend has yet to really catch on here in the west but the other half of the world has transitioned away from traditional text messaging and primarily uses networks like WhatsApp, WhatsApp itself being the dominate international platform.  But still $19 billion!

Well Zuckerberg may have made a very bold but well thought out move here.  First of all this network is growing fast, much faster then Facebook (remember growth drives valuation).  Second he has prevented WhatsApp from being purchased by Google, a major competitor in the social networking world these days.  Thirdly Zuckerberg claims that WhatsApp is going to be a key component in his plan to making the world more interconnected and in bringing internet to the 2 thirds of the world that currently do not have access.

Ultimately Zuckerberg has made a huge power move here by acquiring what could potentially be a monster of a network before his competition.  WhatsApp also fits into his plans for the creation of a true international network.  Zuckerberg is watching the trends and paying particular attention to growth, as social networking is at its core about trends and about what the users want.  At a glance the $19 billion dollar purchase may seem like madness but upon closer examination it may be truly genius.

All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2013 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!

by Jarrad Kulick

Motivation

Previously we have discussed negotiation and how to get others to agree with your perspective or way of thinking; today I would like to talk about motivation.  Specifically what motivates your employees, most would jump right in and dripping with sarcasm say “money” and while that may be true it is not the most powerful motivator and at best it is only one of many.  Motivating our employees is something important to all of us, obviously we all want to get the most out of our workers and there are many ways to do so. 

Psychological motivation can be done in several ways and can be far more powerful then typically given credit for (it is also one of the least costly and simplest methods of motivation).  In our conversation about negotiation we talked about the ability to get others to do what we need through playing on motivators, love, fear, desire all of these things still hold true for the purposes of getting out employees to work.  Fear of losing their job or being replaced, love of a position or a superior, the desire to clime the corporate ladder or get that next promotion, all of these are motivating factors in business.  There are other ways beside playing on desires; communicate with your employees, talk with them and build relationships with them, they need to see you as an individual, an actual human being and they will be more willing to take that extra step for you.

Of course we all know that money motivates, as do material items.  Instead of a raise on occasion it may be more meaningful to give someone a gift tailored to his or her needs or likings, a company car a particular piece of jewelry.  Recently I was the recipient of a beautiful watch that was unexpected and very thoughtful, I am not a watch person but this specific piece was perfectly tailored to my style.  It was a great gift and a powerful motivator.  It was also given unexpectedly which made it mean that much more.

Finally we have motivation that comes in the form of non-material gifts, things such as health benefits, autonomy and paid time off.  These can be the best type of motivators because they can often be relatively inexpensive and they can also quite often carry the most meaning.  Public affirmation of a job well done, a new title or responsibility, even to just hear the words that indicate appreciation, then there are those more traditional non-material rewards like employees benefits, paid vacation time, a company car or a coveted parking spot.

All of these are great motivators and alternative rewards to what is done more traditionally.  It is important to know the people who work for you, know what makes them happy and attempt to reward those that deserve it.   There are many ways to motivate but there is also a best way tailored to each individual, find that way and watch the success that follows.

All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2013 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!

by Jarrad Kulick