Last year I wrote an article on public relations and I stated that "an image without substance is like a beer with only froth." As the froth disappears, unless there is something substantial and refreshing to satisfy the consumer, the product will never be purchased again. Businessmen know that a "crappy'' product will not survive in the marketplace regardless of the advertising hype or the marketing strategies. This applies across the board whether it is a consumer item, an individual, a business enterprise or a political organisation.

A few days ago I was watching a television programme on the world's richest people and there was an interview with Christian R Fabre aka Swami Pranavananda Brahmendra Avadhuta. He is the founder of Fashions International a very successful business enterprise based in Chennai, India. When asked about the philosophy behind his amazing marketing success, he emphasised that a manufacturer must be true to himself and to the public because "you cannot sell a dishonest product." The lesson is that no amount of branding, re-branding or marketing will sell a product that is fundamentally flawed or a message is palpably untrue.

Marketing 101 identifies four key elements of the marketing mix, the so-called four P's, product, price, promotion and place. The most critical is the product itself and it is at the product development stage that the effectiveness of the marketing strategy is determined. I recently listened to a leading coach in the local Professional Football League complaining bitterly about the lack of crowd support at the various games. He was adamant that the quality of football was very good but "we only need to improve the marketing". This is a common mistake and it arises from a refusal to seriously evaluate a product and to face the facts about its quality. Either through ignorance or arrogance an organisation will maintain that its product or message is sound and that its lack of appeal is the public's fault. The consumer is subsequently bombarded with pretty ads and catchy slogans in the belief that media saturation will get the message through. While this approach may work in selling toothpaste or soap powder it is unlikely to succeed when applied to social issues like drug abuse, teenage pregnancy or poverty alleviation. Problems like these have been festering for years if not decades and they will not disappear because of a few full-page advertisements.

A few years ago there was an anti-crime advertising campaign urging citizens to "Fix me First". Despite its heavy rotation on radio and television and numerous newspaper ads, the message failed to resonate and the crime rate continued to rise. More recently a deputy Commissioner of Police lamented the lack of public understanding of the 21st century Policing initiative although there have been several advertisements on the topic. Although advertisements can be useful, changing the public perception of the police service and building support at the community level requires a more long-term, multi-faceted process. Attitudes today have their genesis in the original role of the police since the days of crown colony government and therefore the social history must be understood. A question that must also be answered is one that all consumers ask when confronted with a new product or a new idea.... "what's in it for me?''

The search for a more appropriate methodology to deal with complex social issues led to the emergence of social marketing and Philip Kotler is generally regarded as the doyen of the discipline. He noted that "social marketing seeks to influence social behaviours not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society." Improving the quality of life is a key objective.

To combat obesity, for instance, a social marketing campaign will focus on the benefits of good health while more traditional marketing techniques will seek to sell a particular diet pill. But effective social marketing takes time and unfortunately decision-makers want easy, instant solutions and "quick wins''. Additionally, the process usually begins with a candid, no-holds-barred assessment of the current reality and not many are prepared for such honesty. It's like telling an indulgent mother that her delinquent son is not such a good boy after all or that her male companion has been abusing her daughter. Self-delusion may be an easier and less painful option but it will only makes things worse in the long run.

Years ago I was asked to give advice to an organisation that had received considerable adverse publicity as a result of a corruption scandal. A top official demanded to know what could be done to repair its corporate image and regain public confidence. When I was told that, although exaggerated, the accusations were true, my advice was quite simple..."stop t'iefing". As far as I was concerned, the only way to successfully re-brand a negative image was to confront the real issues affecting the organisation however unpleasant and let the chips fall where they may. Once that is done, then the other elements of the marketing mix, including advertising, could fall into place.

In the final analysis whether social or commercial, it is the quality of the product and credibility of the message that determines the success of a marketing or re-branding strategy. You cannot "mamaguy'' the consumer because as the swami suggested the public will eventually reject a "dishonest'' product.

• Richard Braithwaite is a management consultant.

Better ask Jeff Bezos.

He’s the founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Amazon.com. But he almost wasn’t. Below, I’ll share Bezos’ amazing story and 15 lessons from his life that you can apply to your own business.

Read the whole article here:
http://www.incomediary.com/15-business-lessons-from-amazons-jeff-bezos

1. Passion and Energy

When you think of the likes of Bill Gates, you tend to feel he is living a life filled with long vacations and excessive free time. But that's not true; most successful entrepreneurs are known to have a great amount of passion and energy.

"Passion is what drives me forward. Passion is what makes me go to bed at 2am and wake up at 6am.” – Aliko Dangote

In fact, they possess the capacity to work long hours with minimal sleep. What most people don't realize is that entrepreneurs work longer hours than most employees, shuffling between their family, business duties and meetings. This just reminds me of a quote from Warren Buffet, the world's richest investor and founder of Berkshire Hathaway.

"Without passion, you don't have energy. Without energy, you have nothing." – Warren Buffett

2. Ability to Take Responsibility

"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It's best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations." – Steve Jobs

Successful entrepreneurs are known to take responsibility of their actions and decisions even in the face of failure. They don't blame their employees; instead they take charge, correct their business mistakes and move on.

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." – Oprah Winfrey

3. Long Standing Commitment

"It's my job for Oracle, the number two software company in the world; to become the number one software company in the world. My job is to build better than the competition, sell those products in the marketplace and eventually supplant Microsoft and move from being number two to number one." – Larry Ellison

This is a very vital character possessed by any successful entrepreneur you come across. Entrepreneurs are known to be committed not just for the moment but for years. You can imagine Warren Buffet, who is in his 80's, yet he is still committed to the growth of Berkshire Hathaway, which he founded many years ago.

"I'm not afraid of turning 80 and I have lots of things to do. I don't have time for dying." – Ingvar Kamprad

"If I make a commitment to something, I will stick to it no matter what." – Jenny Craig

4. Self Belief

"You are nuts and you should be proud of it. Stick with what you believe in." – Trip Hawkins

Successful entrepreneurs are known to display a high level of self confidence. They have little belief in fate, they strongly believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their set goals. This is amajor character venture capitalist watch out for before financing any business venture.

"Some people intertwine self belief and faith but I stand to say they are not the same. Faith is not self belief. While faith says it can be done, self belief says 'I can do it.' While faith says there is possibility, Self belief says 'I am the possibility.' Faith without self belief is vain.” – Ajaero Tony Martins

5. Persistence

"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going." This is what persistence stands for; the ability to press on in the face of hardship. Without persistence, nothing can be achieved. When you think of persistence; think of Henry Ford, founder of Ford motor Company and Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds.’

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. The world is full with educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." – Ray Kroc

6. Goal Setting

“I intend to be, the richest man in the world.” – Howard Hughes

All successful entrepreneurs share the characteristic of being goal oriented. They have the ability to set clear goals for themselves. These goals are high and challenging but realistic and attainable. To them, life without goals set and achieved is life wasted.

"I think I am very goal oriented. I'd like to win the America's cup. I'd like Oracle to be the No 1 software company in the world. I still think it is possible to beat Microsoft." – Larry Ellison

7. Ability to Take Risk

"In today's rapidly changing world, the people who are not taking risk are the risk takers." – Robert Kiyosaki

As we all know, business is a risk and to undertake it, you have to be daring. Successful entrepreneurs are risk takers; they put down their time, energy and resources to make sure their business stand the test of time.

"You must take risks, both with your own money or with borrowed money. Risk taking is essential to business growth." – J. Paul Getty

8. Intelligent Use of Feedback

Feedback is one element that successful entrepreneurs don’t joke with. In fact; it is so important that they surround themselves with smart teams so as to get feedbacks about decisions they took. Most importantly, they make intelligent use of the feedback they receive. Please note that feedback can be in the form of criticism, opinion or advice.

"Sometimes, I think my most important job as a CEO is to listen for bad news. If you don't act on it, your people will eventually stop bringing bad news to your attention and that is the beginning of the end." – Bill Gates

9  Strong Self Imposed Standards

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and only five Minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently." – Warren Buffett

Successful entrepreneurs have laid down principles which they don't compromise for any reason. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must be firm, strict and be a man or woman of principle.

"I am stingy and I'm proud of the reputation." – Ingvar Kamprad

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know if you did it or not." – Oprah Winfrey

10. Ability to Work under Pressure and Uncertainty

To be an entrepreneur, you must have the ability to work under pressure and uncertainty. Whenever you are facing tough times in your business; remember Donald Trump, who was in personal debt of a billion dollars and his corporation was in debt of 9 billion dollars yet he kept cool and worked his way out of the debts.

"You must not only learn to live with tension, you must seek it out. You must learn to thrive on stress." – J. Paul Getty

11.  Strong Internal Control

Control is essential to the business survival of every successful entrepreneur. To build a successful business, you need firm control of your cash flow and all other business systems. Control is a watch word of entrepreneurs and investors.

"In order to be a player on the fast track, you will need to have a plan on how to gain more and more control. On the fast track, it is control more than money that counts." – Rich Dad

12. Intelligent Use of Resources

Sometimes, entrepreneurs are faced with the challenge of building a business with limited capital. When building a small business startup from scratch, there is need for efficient utilization of the limited resources. It’s called building a business on a "Shoe string budget"

"IKEA people do not drive flashy cars or stay at luxury hotels." – Ingvar Kamprad

13. Ability to Quickly Learn From Failures

"Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they are going to make mistakes." – Henry Ross Perot

Successful entrepreneurs make lot of mistakes that sometimes lead to business failures but they don't bow their head in defeat. Instead, they quickly acknowledge their business mistakes, correct them, learn from their failures and move on. They fail but they don't quit. Instead, they get inspired by their failure and use their failure as a stepping stone to success.

"Failure is just a resting place. It is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently." – Henry Ford

14. Money as a Means of Keeping Score

"I don't make deals for the money. I've got enough much more than I’ll ever need. I do it to do it." – Donald Trump

This characteristic might sound a little bit funny but it is a common attribute found in most successful entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs use the money acquired from their business as a landmark, a target and a sign to move on to other business challenges. An entrepreneur who makes his/her first million dollars will be happy with the achievement and will set a goal to make his/her first 100million dollars.

"Build wealth as a by product of your business success; If wealth is your only objective in business, you will probably fail." – J. Paul Getty

15.  Delayed Gratification

"You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job and not get paid for it." – Oprah Winfrey

I should have listed this first but I decided to save it for the last. Most individuals like the concept of getting rich quickly, invest today and gain a 1000% ROI in a week and stuffs like that. Entrepreneurs know that profit or reward may not be instant and may even take as much as five years before receiving any dividend. Sometimes, they work without pay, hoping for a greater reward in years to come.

"I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on assumption they could close the market the next day and not re-open it for five years." – Warren Buffett

Having revealed the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, I will advice you try to develop these characters because without these characters, your success will be limited.

Source: http://www.strategicbusinessteam.com/

What Is Strategy?

The Core Strategic Dilemma

So the strategic principle is clear:  know why you’re doing what you’re doing.  However, a dilemma remains: How do you know that you’re not just making it all up?

...............

Having had the opportunity to run a multiplicity of businesses in a variety of market settings, I have come to the firm conclusion that at any given point there are several viable strategies that an organization can pursue.  There is no one true path to success.

What’s really important, crucial in fact, is that the strategy is parsimonious enough to be clear, well articulated and bought into by key stakeholders.  A good strategy puts objectives first and motivates the organization to find innovative ways to achieve them.

Strategy is a blueprint.  It’s the craftsmen that create the sublime.

Greg

Create an event invitation in Gmail

It's easy to create event invitations right in Gmail. Want to send a quick meeting invite to your colleagues, or respond directly to your friend's email with an invitation to catch up over coffee? Simply follow these steps:

1. In Gmail, click Compose Mail to create a new message, or click Reply or Forward to create an invitation in response to an existing email.
2. Whether you include invitees in the To:, CC:, or BCC: fields, all recipients of the email will be added as invitees to the event.(Note: If any invitees are included via BCC:, the entire guest list will be hidden from all recipients of the invite. If you'd like to un-hide the guest list, you can do so by opening the event in Google Calendar and selecting the see guest list checkbox under Guests can.)
3. Select the Invitation link, found under the Subject: field.
4. Fill in the event details in the Invitation window that appears.
5. Click Insert Invitation. A preview of the invitation appears in your email message.
6. If you'd like, add other content to the email before sending.
7. Click Send.

The event is created when the message is sent. For recipients using Google Calendar, the event is automatically added to their calendar. Other recipients can easily add event information from the email to most calendar programs.

Add an image inside the body of your email in Gmail

Now combine these two functions