• BRANDING: Woo Them, Then Win Them



• BRANDING: How Employees Can Be Brand-Builders



• LEADERSHIP: 3 Surefire Ways to Stifle Innovation



• MANAGEMENT: How Much is Customer Dissatisfaction Costing You?



• MANAGEMENT: Reaching the Millenials



• MARKETING: Customers are Looking to Clip Your Coupon



• MARKETING: Use Direct Mail to Build Clientele and Retail Sales



• RETAIL: Customer Buying Choice - Memory, or Stimulus?



• STRATEGY: Beauty-Obsessed Teens and Tweens May be Suffering



• TRENDS: Where the Mommies Are - Part II



• Website of the Week: Kiva.org - Entrepreneurs Lending to Entrepreneurs, World Wide - Looking to change someone's life? Find out how to lend to Women in Developing Countries around the World!

Sept. 5, 2008

BRANDING:  Woo Them, Then Win Them - marketingprofs.com
 
The attributes and benefits of your brand can vary in how tangible they are to consumers. And that can affect buying decisions. So, what's a marketer to do? Well, it seems the right formula might come down to this: Woo them, then win them over. Set the mood with the product's intangible attributes; then, when it comes down to making that sale, clearly state its tangible benefits.
 
 
BRANDING:  How Employees Can Be Brand-Builders - adage.com
 
A well-trained, highly motivated workforce that understands the brand, their role in making it successful and who feels empowered to do just that, is any company's most powerful and most underutilized asset.

LEADERSHIP:  3 Surefire Ways to Stifle Innovation
- businessweek.com
 
In most companies, just about all the cards are stacked against the nurturing of innovation, especially the kinds of new ideas and disruptive innovations that generally lead to major changes in the marketplace and within the business. Following are some of the behaviors I have observed in companies throughout the years that have convinced me how difficult it is to create an environment in which innovation can flourish.

MANAGEMENT:  How Much is Customer Dissatisfaction Costing You?
- newsfactor.com
 
Most dissatisfied customers leave a business without saying what makes them unhappy because they believe the company would be indifferent, according to a University of Pennsylvania survey. Some small and independent businesses can thrive because they develop relationships with their customers.
 
 
MANAGEMENT:  Reaching the Millenials - businessweek.com
 
"They're the perfect customers," says Dan McDonald, 51, who owns seven Jersey Mike's sandwich shop franchises in Nashville. "They travel in packs, they eat like fiends, and they have tons of disposable income." Indeed, America's 80 million millennials (and their folks) shell out roughly $200 billion annually, according to Chicago-based investment firm William Blair & Co. Yet they're tough to reach through traditional marketing.

MARKETING:  Customers are Looking to Clip Your Coupon
- brandweek.com
 
A way to stand out among competitors is to continuously refine both your product and service offerings to diverse buyer groups. Here are some tips to build your business with teens, moms-to-be, mature clients and men—just some of the niche markets that your salon can attract and retain.
 
 
MARKETING: Use Direct Mail to Build Clientele and Retail Sales
- salonsblog.com
 
Direct mail puts your message right in front of your prospect. When you send the right mailing to the right list at the right time, your direct mail is a cost efficient and easy way to get customer attention and sales. This article details how to implement simple, direct mail strategies into your marketing calendar now at little to no cost regardless of the size of your business to attract new clients, build relationships with your existing customers, and promote retail sales.
 

RETAIL:  Customer Buying Choices - Memory or Stimulus?
- marketingprofs.com
 
Chances are, your customers are making their buying choices in two main ways, feelings and rational thoughts play distinct roles in each case.

STRATEGY:  Beauty-Obsessed Teens and Tweens May Be Suffering
- skininc.com
 
The YWCA reports that beauty extremes taken by girls and young women are taking a toll on their physical and mental well-being. It is important for spa professionals to be aware of these risks and take special care when working with 'tween, teen and young women clients.

TRENDS:  Where the Mommies Are - Part II - mediapost.com
 
"The 34 million moms online in the U.S. are among the savviest consumers online," said Paull Young, a senior account executive and social media strategist at New York-based Converseon. So, 18 months ago, Converseon and Graco Baby first begin "listening" to the conversation--for several months before proactively doing anything--to develop a clear understanding of the landscape in the parenting category.
 

GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY:  PBA Tax Alert for Businesses on Stimulus Package - Professional Beauty Association
 
There is more to the Economic Stimulus Act than the rebates that most of us will be receiving this summer. Included in the Economic Stimulus Act are two provisions to help small businesses. These opportunities are only available in 2008, so if you want to take advantage you must act quickly. These provisions have not received as much press as the rebates have. But, overlooking these provisions could be a costly mistake. Here is what you need to know to take advantage of the new law.
 

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Make a Difference! Salon Services has partnered with David Hanen, Founder and Owner of LOMA-Pearatin, to donate a dollar for each bottle of "Pink Bow" Fortifying Repairative Serum that you purchase between now and October 2008. Proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation's annual 3-Day Walk - our own Stacy Kurtz is walking! Read about her story or make a donation online [click here].