What’s a QR Code and how do I use it?

By now, you’ve probably seen a code on a billboard, bus stop or magazine ad. Does this application make sense for you and if so, how do you implement it? Let’s take a closer look.

When Should I Use Them?
Since, QR codes have been developed as a quick response reader by a smartphone camera, it’s better to create QR codes that take the user to a mobile version of your website rather than your full website. Why? Because your full website won’t be fully functional on a mobile screen. By sending the user to a mobile version, they’ll be entering an experience truly designed for the environment they’re in – through their smartphone.

The Options Before You
So what are the options?

1. Have a version of your full site for a mobile site; this is a dedicated mobile site of your website.
2. Create a mobile landing page that will instruct the user to contact you and guide them to go to you full site
3. Have your site designed to work on all platforms

As smartphone usage is only growing further thanks to the iPhone and Android market,it’s time to get serious about incorporating a whole new element of excitement into your marketing by creating your own personalized QR code.

This guest was provided by Rony Pineda. He is an expert in creating specialized QR Codes. His designs take the QR Code to the next level, giving them attitude and a special look. For more information, visit www.fon1.us.  If you’re looking for a great way to create a unique QR Code, you can see some examples at this link.

If you need any help, please let me know by emailing me at Rob@HedgehogConsultingInc.com.

Happy New Year!

We need customers, so let’s advertise!

You’d advertise to people first in an effort to draw them to your brand. And you’d push a lot of messages out there toward a broad range of people, through a broad range of marketing tactics.

And if this stuff worked well, we’d get more people to come to our “house,” right? All seemed right with the world.

Except for one tiny little thing – in some cases, the house wasn’t in order. You had some internal issues in the company throwing things out of whack. Some of you chose to ignore it, some of you didn’t think it was a big deal and some didn’t even know what or where the problem was.

When these internal issues aren’t addressed, a successful marketing effort that leads people to your doorstep can lead to disaster later on.

To me, it’s about marketing to your own people first before you market thyself to the outside world. What do I mean by that?

Simply that the best brands aren’t executed purely on an external basis. They’re lived, breathed and believed in very much by the people within the company too. Unless the CEO is the only employee, it’s not enough for just management to believe in the vision.

Which leads to some pertinent, even hard questions to ask yourself:

1. What’s our company’s real reason for being? The higher, emotional purpose for giving people something they lack?
2. Do our people understand the vision the founders have and more importantly, do they believe it?
3. Is everyone in the company in agreement about who our best customer is? Who do we not want as a customer?
4. How do we reward our best salespeople and ensure they’re coordinated well? Do they understand what they’ll be measured by and are they supplied the materials they need to do their job well?
5. How long does it take to talk to a human being in our company? (Please don’t say your system is automated).
6. When our customers have a problem, what are we giving them for their trouble? (Answering a question isn’t good enough – are you giving them a coupon, a gift certificate, anything?)
7. How will we reward our best, most loyal customers?
8. If we had to have anyone in our company recruit an employee, what would they say and would they have the same passion? Why or why not?

If you notice, most of these aren’t really external “advertising and marketing” issues, are they?

No. They’re really internal issues that speak to vision, better hiring, better training, culture, greater understanding of metrics and rewards, customer service and increasing loyalty.

Yet, when any of these internal elements are in need of fixing, what you’re promising you are as a company isn’t in line with your brand. And the customer will eventually see that. Even worse, in the age of social media, they spread the word to others.

So what’s a company executive to do with all the things to think about fixing? Stay in bed?

No. Just like a real house, understand that a brand’s house is always in need of fixing. It never truly stops. You’ll fix a sales issue here, then a customer service issue there. And that’s not a bad thing at all. The key is that you’re recognizing and fixing it as soon as possible when it happens instead of letting the whole house go.

If you need help, consultants like Rob Jager are exactly what you need to come in from the outside to identify the potential problems internally and how to fix them.

Which makes my job as a marketer of products and services to the outside world just a little easier.

Post provided by Dan Gershenson, owner of Caliber. Located in Chicago, IL, Dan is a brand expert and can position your business where it needs to be to maximize sales and presence on the web. Part SEO, part Marketing, part writer…but all about the brand. If you need help with crafting just the right message, you need to contact him.

]]> http://www.hedgehogconsultinginc.com/get-your-brands-house-in-order-before-inviting-people-over/feed/ 0 http://www.hedgehogconsultinginc.com/how-your-attitude-affects-your-business/ http://www.hedgehogconsultinginc.com/how-your-attitude-affects-your-business/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:35:44 +0000 admin http://www.hedgehogconsultinginc.com/?p=1194 Everything that we desire is possible to achieve and we have the power to create our reality.   When our attitude is in line with our goals and vision, we typically create positive, profitable results.  However, when we come from a place of negativity and lack, the outcome can be unrewarding.  Therefore, the goal is to change your attitude, transform your business.

Re-program your Attitude in five steps:

1. Understand, “I become what I believe.”  For example, “I won’t get this new client”, sends poison down through the system and the instructions are clear, “only say and notice everything that goes wrong on my appointment.”  However, when you transform this affirmation into, “I give this client everything they need and want”, the mind unlocks everything in the command center to make this happen.  The mind begins say, “Do you hear that, it’s time for a mutually beneficial business relationship!”
2. Focus on what you WANT. When you focus on what you want over what you don’t want, your conscious mind begins to notice those very things. For example, have you ever bought a specific car and then noticed that car all over?  Well, was there a huge shipment of that specific car in your area?  Probably not.  What changed was your perspective and what you are NOW noticing.  It is the same concept for focusing in on what you want.
3. Act, dress, speak, talk, and walk, as if it has already happened.  Think about what it is that you truly desire for your business.  Write down or journal about how your business would look and feel like if this desire were already here.  Next, focus with intention on that feeling, and let go of all the thoughts and doubts about what you don’t want.
4. Use Positive Affirmations.  Thinking is like driving down a road, and your current road map may have you in some bad neighborhoods with negative and destructive thoughts.  The use of affirmations is like paving new roads in your mind and helps your brain understand where you want to go. For example, “People love to do business with me.”  “Every day I discover new ways to improve my business.” “Great money-generating ideas come to my attention every day.”  Say these affirmations with repetition and watch what begins to manifest.
5. Believe it and then you will see it. “Build it and they will come.”  Remember that line?  That is what this is all about; believing it will happen before you see any results.   Faith is the step before you see it.  Once you see it there is no more need for belief.  So believe in what you want, feel it with intention, and know that when the time is right it will show up!

Allow your desires to come to the surface, plant these desires with focus in your mind, water them with affirmations, and believe in yourself.  Let your desires take root through practicing faith and remember, Change your attitude, and you’ll transform your business.

			Sophie Skover is an author, holistic life coach, inspirational speaker and started her own company, LSS Harmony Life Coaching, to help others experience harmony in their lives.  She works with clients, conducts workshops, and encourages us to face our inner life and grow into the most impressive version of ourselves. For more information please visit: www.LSSHarmony.com

1. It’s OK to be a Maverick. A maverick is someone who isn’t afraid of stepping outside the normal, conventional lines of thought. Be careful to not get too outside the norm, or you’ll lose the team and those who would normally support you. Along with this is the corollary of being a non-conformist. Always challenge the current rules that are in place. Work to create a long-term culture change for the better.
2. Stay Focused. Stay focused on the big picture and attaining the goal without allowing the small interruptions to get you off track. Do not allow naysayers to tell you that it can’t be done. If we can put a man on the moon, we can do anything. There is a solution. Find it and make it happen.
3. Stay Interested in People, Things, & Trends. Stay on top of what is going on around you. Don’t just focus on what’s in front of you or what you can control.
4. Juggle Many Things at a Time. Multi-talented, multi-functional and the ability to juggle complex schedules and competing priorities will make a stronger leader. Have that skill, and you’ll have it made.
5. Understand the Essential Points. Have the ability to cut to the core of the matter. Layer on top of that the desire to understand the basic elements of whatever issues, systems, and situations are presented to you.
6. Be a Practical Dreamer. Be the person that can conceptualize and theorize about new ways of doing things. Innovation is difficult. Be a decision-maker on those issues. Have the confidence in following those dreams that make sense, even if facts are limited. Follow your gut. Have the ability to make a good educated guess. Those who make decisions are right about 75% of the time anyway…just make sure the 25% that are wrong are not fatal…then learn from those wrong decisions by making better decisions in the future.
7. Have Self-Discipline. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, have self-control and self-discipline to accentuate the strengths and find ways to get help on the weaknesses or surround yourself with people who can shore up the areas where weaknesses exist. A resolute attitude toward challenges in life is critical.
8. Must Be Motivated. Self-motivation is a rare gem these days. Being self-motivated toward goal accomplishment and achievement in addition to being able to motivate others to achieve their goals that are in alignment with yours. Most important though, you must be motivated yourself first.
9. Sense of Urgency. Often overlooked. Seldom goes unnoticed. You must understand that time is limited and a limiting factor on what can be accomplished. One of the self-disciplines successful people possess is the sense of accomplishment by allowing a sense of urgency to drive them to get things done and move on.

Thank you Fred and the others who have taught me these leadership gems.

 Photo Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/southwest_michigan_links_fred.html

Recently I had lunch with a friend of mine who owns a small painting company. We were talking about his ability to mix paint and match the color exactly. I have heard from a couple of people that they have watched him look a the color on the wall and mix a batch of paint only to have it nearly match perfectly. I realize this should be something a painter should be able to do, but I would ask you, in your business, would you be considered the expert? Are you able to answer questions or perform the task you need to 100% flawlessly? Or at least 95%? Many would have to honestly say no.

I asked him how long he had been painting and he answered me that he’d been painting since he was 7. He started painting with his dad. I didn’t ask how old he was, but I’m guessing that puts his experience somewhere around 30 to 35 years.

Think about your business. How do you become the expert in your field of business? Time is one way to do it. The other is through education and putting yourself into various experiences that are outside your area of current knowledge yet still within your field. The deeper your level of knowledge, the more of an expert you become because most people only know or learn the basics.

Visit Treasure Coast Painting to meet Ray. His website will be up soon…and I’ll link it then.

View the Video link. 

When Pigs Fly?

Recently I was visiting a hotel to set up an event for later in the month. While getting the tour, the director made the comment, “We don’t charge for the water, soda, or snacks in the room because we have a sophisticate style here.” He was right. I never understood why hotels charged for the use/consumption of the bottled water in the room. Why not only put two or three in the room and add the $1 each to the room cost for each night? Tell the guest, “Go ahead! Drink it! It’s on us.”

Just remember, when you say you have the best customer service, ask yourself, “Do I really?” I’m betting you don’t. Now, go and figure out how to become the best!

Consider taking these three steps to avoid overpaying the tax man.

Dean Cycon was having an after-work beer with one of his suppliers and complaining about the high price of propane, which powers Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company, his fair-trade wholesale and retail coffee company in Orange, Mass. The supplier, seeking a silver lining, said, “Well, at least you don’t have to pay sales tax on it, because it’s used in your manufacturing,” Cycon recalls.

When he returned to his office, Cycon found that he had, in fact, been paying sales tax on propane–along with various other supplies used in creating his products.

Sales tax laws vary significantly from state to state, and even among various municipalities, says Gail Margolies Reid, a CPA and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Low-Cost Startups. In many areas, products and services purchased as part of a manufacturing or production process are not subject to sales tax. However, while Cycon was being charged sales tax erroneously, propane used in manufacturing may be taxable in other areas, she says. To protect yourself from paying extra sales tax, follow these steps:

• Get an opinion. If the law is not clear about whether you’ll owe sales tax, inquire with your state and, if applicable, municipal tax office, Reid says. Describe the situation in question and ask for an opinion on whether sales tax is due. Such an opinion can be an important factor in your favor if the issue is ever questioned. If you prefer to do so anonymously, have your accountant or attorney send the request.
• Issue resale certificates. To obtain an exemption, you’ll likely have to issue resale certificates to your suppliers to prove the product or service was purchased for resale and not subject to sales tax. These can be obtained from the taxation authority in your state or municipality, Reid says. Cycon found that some of his suppliers required their own versions as well.
• Contact your suppliers. When Cycon contacted his propane supply company, they were aware of the issue and immediately credited his account for six months of sales tax. He is also eligible to petition the state to refund up to two years. He estimates that correcting erroneous sales tax billing will save his $4 million company about $5,000 per year.

SOURCE: Entrepreneur Magainze, June 2011. See the article: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219648. Reprinted the article exactly as it was.