After spending weeks trying to sell ad spaces to B&Bs with little to no interest (nearly 300 emails and 100 phone calls) I was really suprised by the instant and effective feedback to a short and simple email and an effective attachment.

Today Holly gave me a task to send a short email requesting clients to take a look at the attached video and consider their budgeting strategy during this economic "repression". The email was only a few lines. There wasn't any large proposition for success or a "you-can't-afford-to-miss-this" offering. The email simply stated,

Hi All,
Here’s a slide show presentation about “Branding in a Recession” that speaks directly to the point being made about advertising even when things are tight.

A major point in that script: Companies that aggressively increased their media advertising expenditures in the last recession had a post-recession market share gain of 2.5 times the average for all businesses. This makes it an important time to consider your advertising budget, your market and your message.

I hope you find this useful.

Just an honest extension of useful information. With no strings or sales pitch attached.

I recently learned in my marketin class that consumers move through a psychological thought process on the way to a sale.

Awareness (gain attention) -->

Interest (persuade to investigate) -->

Desire (from "I like" to "I want" -->

Action (pursue purchase)

From my understanding this should be a highly complex and intriquetly constructed model to manipulate and motivate consumers deliberately along a premeditated path to make a sale. Every step and every aspect must be considered and taylored in order to create a sale.

Within 15 minutes of sending this email we recieved 6 responses with interest in full-priced advertising at the Oregon Wine Press.

How do you explain that? The return rate on cold calls averages around 3%. I have found that my average is much lower. The interest this email generated was huge.

Maybe people just want some honest and genuine information and support?

Maybe this is the "hot-topic" of the time?

Maybe people just wanted proof and a quantified reason to buy?

It could be any one of these or other things, and certainly some combination of many interwoven reasons. I think what this says to me is that there is a lot of value in a personal communication and a personally felt connection.

Below is the attached slide-show. Enjoy.

Branding In A Recession

View more presentations from belkins.

For my mangement process class we were asked to create a list of things we enjoyed doing during a week so that we could translate these things into natural talents that we possess. It was proposed to us that generally people spend so much time trying to improve their weaknesses that they miss out on their areas for the greatest potential improvement; their strengths. We were not asked to forget of disregard our weaknesses but rather to improve them and work on them and also to realize that we can only go so far in trying to force something that really isn't there for us. If we can find a positions that fits our strengths then it isn't really letting our weakness get the best of us, but rather simply positioning ourselves for a happier and more prosperous career and life.

This is an idea proposed by Marcus Buckingham in his book "Now Discover Your Strengths." Below is a youtube video clip of Marcus Buckingham speaking on the Today Show about his ideas, the power of strengths, and how they apply to the recent economy.




The following is the essay that I wrote for this assignment;

Upon logging a list over the last week of acts that created positive feelings of accomplishment and worth that left me feeling motivated and energized I achieved a new awareness of my strengths. This amounted to not simply a checklist of duties and tasks successfully completed, but rather a resume of feats performed with a
feeling of interest and wellbeing. Upon further analysis, these acts were translated as representations of talents that I possess. Next I used these talents to piece together a larger picture from the collection of individual examples. Ultimately, with these newly realized strengths in hand I am prepared to develop and utilize these tools to first discover and then reach my unique and appropriate career and life goals.

When I considered my list of enjoyable tasks it quickly becomes evident that I favor structure. There is a lot of happiness for me in planning, budgeting, and scheduling. I like to log my workouts, do grocery shopping for the week, take orderly and detailed notes from assigned readings, and create an agenda, set a budget, and neatly pack supplies for my weekend trip to the coast. I like to cook a well balanced dinner for my boyfriend, write letters complete with article clippings to my grandma, and give directions to confused campus visitors. I enjoy creating power point slides to explain my position, excel spreadsheets to record my contacts, and design color coordinated to do lists to prepare for the next day. These may sound like boring events to most people. In fact, they sound pretty boring as I reread them as they are listed right here, but when I consider these small acts I also begin to derive a pattern.

I like planning for the future. I like to collect the facts, consider what is possible based on past experience and future projection. I like to feel prepared and confident in my choices by developing a calculated outline that will challenge me, but that I can believe in based on hard work and focus. I take great pride in reaching self defined checkpoints and crave goals to focus my aim on and to provide a feeling of progression and growth.

To make the strengths even more evident lets take the generalization a step further. I am future focused and self motivated. I am able to decisively choose a desired outcome, create a structured plan and outline a method to achieve it. I am fueled to confirm improvements consistently through progressive checkpoints. I like to feel capable, prepared, flourishing, and justify myself through concrete examples of my successful pursuits. I like to get things done and present them as proof of the value of my time and the power of my efficient expenditure of energy.

Ultimately I think that I am best suited for a position managing, directing, promoting, or developing projects and strategies. I would take a lot of pride and gladly invest myself personally in the success of a project. I would be able to focus and motivate others along with me in my drive for completion. I think being in a position that I can feel the impact of my work is vital to my happiness at work and could be achieved in a variety of directing positions.