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So, You've Been Put In Charge of the Nametags
There’s only a few weeks left until the big meeting. Thus far, your preparations have run smoothly: almost all of your attendees are registered, the flowers are ordered, the band is booked, and the room design is perfect. All you need to do now is make sure your attendees know each other! So, now it’s time to prepare those stinkin’ nametags.Although preparation of your attendees’ nametags is usually the last thing on your to-do list, it doesn’t mean it’s the least important. There are several important nametag issues to consider that will assure the comfort and approachability of your attendees. Ask yourself the following questions, and you will be able to effectively manage your nametag creation and distribution.What is the dress code? Decide on nametag and holder style that will best accommodate your members’ wardrobes, i.e., adhesive, magnet, clip, lanyard.What information will be printed on the nametag? Other than their name, include the job title, company and hometown. This is a great way to expedite networking and break the ice.Will you need designators?

spondent to react to a specific stimulus or situation, when the actual subject of investigation is totally different. The marketer plants the real stimulus among many fake ones and studies reactions. The method is quite unobtrusive and the marketer can gather valuable, non-reactive facts. When the respondent becomes aware of the true subject under investigation (s)he might change the behavior and compromise the study.

Protocols: are yet another observational marketing research technique which asks respondents to think out loud and verbally express all their thoughts during the decision-making process. Protocols are of great value for determining the factors of importance for a sale and they can be collected in either real shopping trips or simulated ones.

2. Projective techniques

Such techniques are based on the respondent's performance of certain tasks given by the marketer. The purpose is to have the consumers (respondents) express their unconscious beliefs through th

Raising Entrepreneurs: What to Do When Your Kid is Born to Think Differently
Adolescence brings with it many challenges – for both parents and kids. Young people, still new to the world, are embarking on a journey to discover their passions, joys, and authentic self-images. More often than not, however, their journey more closely resembles an elongated stampede of enraged elephants than it does an innocent soul-searching endeavor. But no one said growing up would be easy.And there are young entrepreneurs out there who see the world in a truly positive light. Sure, they have their ups and downs like most teenagers, but they are motivated, focused, and want to make a difference.Who are these kids? How were they raised? What do they have in common with one another? At the risk of making some sweeping generalizations, I will paint the picture of the young, confident entrepreneur – with the knowledge that this over-idealized portrait often comes in many colors and hues.While entrepreneurship was never common in my family, many young entrepreneurs had experiences early on in life that lead them towards an entrepreneurial path. In general, there are two possible ways young people feel compelle

This article is meant to be a brief review and reminder of some valuable yet often bypassed techniques to collect data on international markets and consumers.

When thinking of market research, surveys are most likely the first technique that comes to ones mind. However, surveys are a quantitative research and, in order to understand customer behavior and the social and cultural context in which our business will operate, we will need to perform some qualitative research as well.

Qualitative methods are most certainly a more appropriate option when in need of researching patterns and attitudes in customer behavior, understand the depth of the environment around the customer, and understand the cultural characteristics then influence a customer – especially when the marketer is not familiar with the country of culture.

There are certain situations where qualitative research alone can provide the marketer with all insights needed to make decisions and take actions; while in some other cases quantitative research might be needed as well.

We will stop by the main qualitative techniques and see how and where they can be employed in international marketing. Craig and Douglas (2000), mention three major types of qualitative data collection techniques:

- observational and quasi-observational techniques;

- projective techniques and depth interviews;

- creative group sessions (synectics).

1. Observational and quasi-observational techniques

Observational techniques involve direct observation of phenomena (in our case, consumers' behavior) in their natural settings. Observational research might be somehow less reliable than quantitative research yet it is more valid and flexible since the marketer is able to change his approach whenever needed.

Disadvantages are given by the limited behavioral variables and the fact that such data might not be generalizable – we can observe a customer's behavior at a given moment and situation but we cannot assume all further customers will act the same.

Quasi-observational techniques are reported to have increased in usage over the past decades, due to the large scale employ of surveillance cameras within stores. Such techniques cost less than pure observational ones since costs associated with video surveillance and taping are far lower than a researcher's wage; the tape can be viewed and analyzed at a later time, at the marketer's convenience. When performing videotaping of consumers' behaviors, they can be asked to give comments and insights upon their thoughts and actions while the conversation itself can be recorded and be further analyzed.

Pure observation: the marketer watches behavior of customers in real-life situation, either in situ or by videotaping the consumers (less intrusive). Videotaping can be specifically recommended when studying patterns of different cultures, since we can easily compare behaviors taped and highlight similarities and / or differences.

Trace measures: consist in collecting and recording traces of consumers' behavior. Such traces can be fingerprints or tear of packages, empty packages, garbage cans analysis and any other ways a marketer can imagine (it's all about creativity here!). In eMarketing, trace measures come under the form of recorded visits and hits – there are numerous professional applications that can help an emarketer analyze the behavior of visitors on his company's website.

Archival measures: can be any type of historical records, public records, archives, libraries, collections of personal documents etc. Such data can prove to be of great use in analyzing behavioral trends and changes in time. Marketers can also identify cultural values and attitudes of a population at a given moment by studying mass media content and advertisement of the timeframe questioned.

Entrapment measures: those are indirect techniques (by comparison to the previously mentioned ones) and consist in asking the respondent to react to a specific stimulus or situation, when the actual subject of investigation is totally different. The marketer plants the real stimulus among many fake ones and studies reactions. The method is quite unobtrusive and the marketer can gather valuable, non-reactive facts. When the respondent becomes aware of the true subject under investigation (s)he might change the behavior and compromise the study.

2. Projective techniques

Such techniques are based on the respondent's performance of certain tasks given by the marketer. The purpose is to have the consumers (respondents) express their unconscious beliefs through the

Franchise Success in Food
Fast food and restaurants is and will still be the fastest growing segment of the franchise industry. While this may be so, your success is not guaranteed when you enter this race. Because of the popularity of food franchises, the market tends to become saturated with this type of business. More and more you see fast foods and restaurants vying for the same market are opening shops back to back or side to side in malls, commercial areas and almost every other place in the downtown area. Of course with the daunting number of choices, the overall financial performance of these types of franchises tends to bottom out and lose steam over time.Welcome the newest on food franchises. One that is designed not for the overall market but a large niche in the market looking for something different is the food choices available to them. In this case, the smaller the target market is, the more chances of dominating that particular niche and when it comes to different flavored wings there is no other like the new wing stop. Wing stop is different from the other types of food franchises such as the Italian food franchise, pizza fran

ases quantitative research might be needed as well.

- observational and quasi-observational techniques;

- projective techniques and depth interviews;

- creative group sessions (synectics).

1. Observational and quasi-observational techniques

2. Projective techniques

Such techniques are based on the respondent's performance of certain tasks given by the marketer. The purpose is to have the consumers (respondents) express their unconscious beliefs through th

Why Should I Repair My Credit?
FAQs On credit Part 1Nowadays, with identity theft rampant and possibility of data entry errors it is a high probability that your credit report contains entries that do not belong to you. Incorrect items on your credit report will negatively impact your overall credit score which in turn will cost you thousands of dollars of interest when you get loans for your car or house. The better your credit score, the more favorable interest rates you will receive from the banks and lenders, which means direct savings to you. So credit repair is a good option.Why is my credit score so important?Banks, lenders and credit card issuers use the credit score as a universal means of assessing your credit risk and credit worthiness. The credit score is calculated by the three major credit reporting bureaus (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax), and is a reflection of several factors, including your past payment history, on time payment record, amount of loans you have, etc. When your credit score is high, lenders are willing to issue loans to you at lower interest rates. And the lower the interest rate, less money y

sume all further customers will act the same.

2. Projective techniques

Such techniques are based on the respondent's performance of certain tasks given by the marketer. The purpose is to have the consumers (respondents) express their unconscious beliefs through th

Why Your Tiny Business Wants A Toll Free Number NOW
All small business owners dream of greater leverage which means the reaping large profits from a simple inexpensive tool. So they look around for tools, tactics or software that will give them an edge. But they miss one of the most effective tools that sits right under their nose. The profit-building tool that most small business people miss is the toll free number.Independent surveys have shown that toll free numbers can increase your business’ sales, improve the branding and perception of your company and significantly increase the value of your business at the point of sale. Below are 3 critical reasons why you should get a toll free number for your small business today.Reason 1. You’ll Enjoy Increased SalesVanity or custom toll free numbers such as 1 800 WORKOUT are proven to increase sales. PRWeekly stated that such numbers result in more calls that are better qualified both by desire for - and also the ability to buy - the product or service. With the right phrase, a specific number for your business will make an instant bridge in your customer's mind between a desire she has and your product or service.<

>Trace measures: consist in collecting and recording traces of consumers' behavior. Such traces can be fingerprints or tear of packages, empty packages, garbage cans analysis and any other ways a marketer can imagine (it's all about creativity here!). In eMarketing, trace measures come under the form of recorded visits and hits – there are numerous professional applications that can help an emarketer analyze the behavior of visitors on his company's website.

2. Projective techniques

Such techniques are based on the respondent's performance of certain tasks given by the marketer. The purpose is to have the consumers (respondents) express their unconscious beliefs through th

Yikes! What a Brat!
It was early evening late in March, 2004 when my office telephone rang. When I picked up the receiver it was a young man with whom I was involved in times past in network marketing businesses. I knew by instinct why he was 1calling me, and I didn't want any part of another network marketing business. I had failed often enough, but my mother raised me right, and I didn't hang up on him.I was only half listening to him when he said his product was liquid. That made me sit up and take notice. I absolutely did not like liquids. As a child when I had a cold the doctor had to prescribe cough medicine in pill form. My caller further told me it was not selling, but was a marketing opportunity. Thinking of a way to get rid of him without being rude I said "Marc, you know I can't market anything unless I believe in it." Whereupon he said "Let me send you a bottle, then you can make up your own mind."Sooner than I expected, the sample bottle arrived. I took note the company name was XanGo. I noticed the bottle was attractive. I read the contents - nothing unusual about the contents, but what in the world

2. Projective techniques

Such techniques are based on the respondent's performance of certain tasks given by the marketer. The purpose is to have the consumers (respondents) express their unconscious beliefs through the projective stimuli; to express associations towards various symbols, images, signs.

Cooper (1996) suggested that projective techniques can be successfully employed to: - indicate emotional and rational reactions;

- provide verbal and non-verbal communication;

- give permission to express novel ideas;

- encourage fantasy, idiosyncrasy and originality;

- reduce social constraints and censorship;

- encourage group members to share and "open up".

Projective market research techniques can take the following forms, presented below.

Collages – used to understand lifestyles and brand perceptions, respondents are asked to assemble a collage using images and symbols from selected sets of stimuli or from magazines and newspapers of their choice.

Picture completion – certain pictures can be designed to express and visualize the issue under study and respondents have to make associations and / or attribute words to the given pictures.

Analogies and metaphors are used when a larger range of projection is needed, with more complexity and depth of ideas and thoughts on a given brand, product, service, organization. The respondents are asked to freely express their association and analogies towards the object being studied; or they can be asked to select from a set of stimuli (e.g. photos) those that fit the examined subject.

Psycho-drawing is a technique that allows study participants to express a wide range of perceptions by making drawings of what they perceive the brand is (or product, service).

Personalization consists in asking the respondents to treat the brand or product as if it is a person and start making associations or finding images of this person. This technique is especially recommended in order to understand what kind of personality consumers assign to a brand / product / service.

3. In-depth interviews

These techniques of marketing research put an accent on verbal communication and they are efficient especially when trying to discover underlying attitudes and motivations towards a product or a specific market / consumption situation.

Individual in-depth interviews are performed on a person-to-person environment and the interviewer can obtain very specific and precise answers. Such interviews are common in B2B practices of market research, for example when a company conducts a research about a product among their existing corporate customers.

Interviews can be conducted by phone or via internet-based media, from a centralized location: this can greatly reduce costs associated with market research and the results are pretty much as accurate as the face-to-face ones. The only disadvantage would be the lack of non-verbal, visual communication.

Focus groups are basically discussions conducted by a researcher with a group of respondents who are considered to be representative for the target market.

Such meetings are usually held in an informal setting and are moderated by the researcher. Videotaping the sessions is common these days, and it can add more sources of analysis at a later time.

Focus groups are perhaps the ideal technique, if available in terms of costs and time, to test new ideas and concepts towards brands and products; to study customers' response to creative media such as ads and packaging design or to detect trends in consumers' attribute and perception. One of the important advantages of focus groups is the presence of several respondents in the same time, providing a certain synergy. Disadvantages refer mainly to the costs involved and the scarcity of good professionals to conduct the interviews and discussions.

To conclude, we have to keep in mind just how important non-survey data collection techniques are in today's market research. Not only they provide more depth of analysis but they can be performed in significantly less time than surveys and they're more suitable to be employed during the explor

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Blueprints are a critical part of any construction job, whether the job is big or small. In all cases, the ubiquitous blueprint is always in danger of being torn, damage, stained, or just worn out.

Individuality… Uniqueness… Identification. “This above all: to thine own self be true”. What do all of the above have in common? They all translate into the meaning of ‘identity’. Without it, we have no representation of our own characteristics or behaviour. Without it we remain nameless. Without it, we are in fact - lost.

Many small business owners fail to identify and assess their marketing efforts. This can be very expensive and can counterproductive to achieving the overall goal of business growth. Do you know what is in your marketing tool box? Take a few moments to read a checklist and straighten out your marketing efforts to dramatically increase your bottom line.

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