The postcard mailing campaign was launched last week. The DOT postcard was mailed to all transportation SIC codes in Oceanside, Rancho Cucamonga/Fontana, Lancaster/Palmdale and Martinez areas. Sacramento elected to begin their mailing in 2009.
The mailing dates for the DOT mailing are: 11/6/08, 11/21/08, and 1/2/09. The delivery times vary, but are generally within two weeks.
The mailings for the balance of the mailing will be on 1/2/09, 1/30/09 and 2/27/09. A total of 6,000 postcards will be mailed in each mailing cycle and in each territory at ~2,000 per mailing.
To review the postcards that will be mailed, go to FranConnect/library/CAMPA .
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Free Landing Page Traffic
Free Landing Page Traffic
Everyone with a website wants to know, “How do I get more traffic?” There are really only two answers to this question: either work for it or pay for it.
Working for your traffic includes posting classified ads on Craigslist and other free classified advertising venues, as well as updating these ads on a regular basis. Craigslist ads bring in a substantial number of visitors to our landing pages without a penny spent, other than the time to post the ads.
In a quick review of the fifteen possible ads that could be posted on Craigslist, there are only four ads currently posted. Each business is allowed to post three ads at a time. When ads are posted, there is an expiration date provided. It is a good idea to note the expiration date and then begin a routine of having a lab tech or someone else do this routine repost of your ads.
Our tracking of landing page traffic demonstrates that these ads are worth every minute of the time allocated towards keeping them current. In fact, there are very few things that you can do which is a better use of time, and if time is being spent to post one ad, you might as well post three at a time.
Coupons are another free way to increase traffic to your site. Coupons have a two-fold benefit. They will grab the attention of future customers, as well as increase site ranking in organic search, because search engine algorithms weight the use of a coupon in determining ranking.
Everyone with a website wants to know, “How do I get more traffic?” There are really only two answers to this question: either work for it or pay for it.
Working for your traffic includes posting classified ads on Craigslist and other free classified advertising venues, as well as updating these ads on a regular basis. Craigslist ads bring in a substantial number of visitors to our landing pages without a penny spent, other than the time to post the ads.
In a quick review of the fifteen possible ads that could be posted on Craigslist, there are only four ads currently posted. Each business is allowed to post three ads at a time. When ads are posted, there is an expiration date provided. It is a good idea to note the expiration date and then begin a routine of having a lab tech or someone else do this routine repost of your ads.
Our tracking of landing page traffic demonstrates that these ads are worth every minute of the time allocated towards keeping them current. In fact, there are very few things that you can do which is a better use of time, and if time is being spent to post one ad, you might as well post three at a time.
Coupons are another free way to increase traffic to your site. Coupons have a two-fold benefit. They will grab the attention of future customers, as well as increase site ranking in organic search, because search engine algorithms weight the use of a coupon in determining ranking.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Interesting Statistics
Every franchisee has an opportunity to educate their clients and the general public on the scope of drug abuse in our society. It is general knowledge that drug abuse is a huge problem and costly not only to society but to business as well. If you do not already know these statistics, you should memorize them and be able to share them when the opportunity arises:
-19% of eighth graders, 36% of tenth graders, and 47% of twelfth graders have used illegal drugs, according to a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan
-74% of all drug users are employed
-1 in 6 has an addiction problem
-4x more likely to steal from employers
-3.6x more likely to be involved in work accidents
-3x more likely to use medical benefits
-5x more likely to file a Workers Compensation claim
-Absent from work 16x more often
-1 workplace drug user costs employers $11000 - $13000 a year
-19% of eighth graders, 36% of tenth graders, and 47% of twelfth graders have used illegal drugs, according to a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan
-74% of all drug users are employed
-1 in 6 has an addiction problem
-4x more likely to steal from employers
-3.6x more likely to be involved in work accidents
-3x more likely to use medical benefits
-5x more likely to file a Workers Compensation claim
-Absent from work 16x more often
-1 workplace drug user costs employers $11000 - $13000 a year
Friday, November 7, 2008
Incoming Call Source Logs
During the course of a typical work day, you and your lab techs are pushed and pulled in many different directions. Sometimes this creates the situation where it is hard to focus on seemingly insignificant details in your operation that actually can make a big difference in your sales revenue and in understanding the effectiveness of your marketing dollars. One of the most overlooked routine front line functions is how incoming phone calls are answered and logged (if at all).
Keeping a Call Source Log next to each office telephone is one of those simple things that will yield big results over the course of a year. In fact, I would venture to say that there are few things more important than knowing how incoming phone calls are handled and where these calls are coming from.
If, as a group, we are serious about differentiating ourselves from our competitors, it all starts with how each incoming call is answered. Each time the phone rings, it should be answered professionally and rarely forwarded to voice mail – the Call Source Report will tell you how many times calls are going to voice mail. After each call, the source of the call and other important information needs to be logged into the Call Source Log.
This process should not be time consuming and simply involves jotting down the phone number, the caller’s name, their company (if a B2B call), and a few notes about the call. You will find that this log will be invaluable in the future as you begin to analyze your marketing.
If you have not figured it out yet, you know how passionate I am about accumulating data. Just look at the data we are currently gathering in our Google marketing campaign. We WILL have the data to make informed business decisions in the future and will NOT be shooting in the dark. Success is always found in the details. Without the data, we will not have information to make smart decisions - which generally results in stupid decisions.
Not only will maintaining the Call Source Log data help provide each customer with better service (for follow up calls), it will differentiate our service level and set expectations with our new customers. You will also be able to reconcile the Call Source Log with your Call Source Report and track the calls you are receiving. This allows you to begin to understand which ads are working and what type of business you are receiving for the SEO and Ad Word campaign.
Although this may seem insignificant, this simple procedure will increase the effectiveness of your business and give you and your staff a much better feel for the sourcing of your business.
Our mission is to out-execute our competitors at EVERY level. We are well on our way to doing this. Our ability to crush our competitors in the future gets better as we execute on the little things. The Call Source Log is one killer application. I can tell you that your competitors are clueless in this area.
Keeping a Call Source Log next to each office telephone is one of those simple things that will yield big results over the course of a year. In fact, I would venture to say that there are few things more important than knowing how incoming phone calls are handled and where these calls are coming from.
If, as a group, we are serious about differentiating ourselves from our competitors, it all starts with how each incoming call is answered. Each time the phone rings, it should be answered professionally and rarely forwarded to voice mail – the Call Source Report will tell you how many times calls are going to voice mail. After each call, the source of the call and other important information needs to be logged into the Call Source Log.
This process should not be time consuming and simply involves jotting down the phone number, the caller’s name, their company (if a B2B call), and a few notes about the call. You will find that this log will be invaluable in the future as you begin to analyze your marketing.
If you have not figured it out yet, you know how passionate I am about accumulating data. Just look at the data we are currently gathering in our Google marketing campaign. We WILL have the data to make informed business decisions in the future and will NOT be shooting in the dark. Success is always found in the details. Without the data, we will not have information to make smart decisions - which generally results in stupid decisions.
Not only will maintaining the Call Source Log data help provide each customer with better service (for follow up calls), it will differentiate our service level and set expectations with our new customers. You will also be able to reconcile the Call Source Log with your Call Source Report and track the calls you are receiving. This allows you to begin to understand which ads are working and what type of business you are receiving for the SEO and Ad Word campaign.
Although this may seem insignificant, this simple procedure will increase the effectiveness of your business and give you and your staff a much better feel for the sourcing of your business.
Our mission is to out-execute our competitors at EVERY level. We are well on our way to doing this. Our ability to crush our competitors in the future gets better as we execute on the little things. The Call Source Log is one killer application. I can tell you that your competitors are clueless in this area.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Getting Paid in Tough Economic Times
In economically challenging times, making sure that you get paid can make all the difference in your survival … or your demise. For businesses that are in the startup mode (i.e., in business less than 2 yrs), proper management of cash flow is essential. Since the key component of a Cash Flow Statement/Report is the incoming cash metric, it is important that adequate attention be given to all aspects of this key metric.
Early in my career, I became a franchisee in a retail-oriented franchise. Although I had a background in accounting and fully understood the importance of managing cash flow, I got distracted by the excitement of building the business.
To my credit, I correctly focused on sales, realizing that an aggressive sales and marketing posture was critical to success. I hired several sales people, something that had not been done in this business previously, since it was primarily a retail business. I was able to create a great amount of sales momentum. I was almost too successful in building top line sales.
Although I had a credit checking process established, it was not very sophisticated. I also had a procedure to track receivables in aggregate, but I did not have a procedure in place to monitor the rapid growth in receivables of my larger clients. I was just too focused on sales, which were exponentially growing, to take the necessary time to analyze the numbers closely. This is a classic entrepreneurial rookie mistake!
Someone can intellectually understand the importance of cash flow, and in my case as an accountant, understand and promote cash flow management, having designed cash flow reporting systems for others. However, until I had actually been swept up in the excitement of building a business, watched sales skyrocket, and spent a majority of my time focusing on expansion and all of the elements associated with the growth phenomenon, it was difficult to appreciate the importance of the cash flow metric. Clarity did not arrive until I got to the point when I was technically bankrupt - THEN the cash flow metric hit home! Turning on a dime, my new focus became fixing this problem.
Based on this experience, I have developed 5 essential tasks for more effective cash flow management, in an expansionary mode or during uncertain economic times:
1. Chose your customers carefully. It is better to not associate with companies that have a poor payment history or are unwilling to readily provide credit information and references. Under the best of circumstances, it is hard to find out if a company is hiding something, and if you are having a difficult time verifying information or something just does not seem right – walk away from these companies. You are better off without them. If they don’t have money or if they are having other difficulties, no matter how much they like you personally, they will not be able to pay their bills.
2. Find an excuse to call – any excuse. Being the “squeaky wheel” will keep you front and center. In uncertain economic times, he who is the squeakiest (in a nice way), is the first to get the grease.
3. Consider credit insurance. Credit insurance allows you to increase credit lines and protect yourself against unforeseen future events, by protecting your receivables against commercial risks which could result in non-payment of your invoices due to buyer insolvencies (e.g., bankruptcy) or protracted defaults (slow payment). Non-payment problems can be caused by fluctuations in demand, natural disasters, or general economic conditions in your customer's business. To find out more about credit insurance, go to Google and do a search for “Credit Insurance Policies”.
4. Turn your sales people into collection agents. Tie commissions and bonuses to on time accounts receivable payments vs. commission being paid at the time the sale closes.
5. If there is a problem, be the first on the scene to work with the client. Be creative on structuring a payment schedule. Bend over backwards to be proactive and to maintain a good working relationship. If you are a facilitator in working with your clients, you will be the first in line vs. being at the end of the line. Being proactive also cements the future relationship. This will keep competitors out when things turn around, even if the competitor offers lower pricing. The relationship is more important than saving a few bucks.
Early in my career, I became a franchisee in a retail-oriented franchise. Although I had a background in accounting and fully understood the importance of managing cash flow, I got distracted by the excitement of building the business.
To my credit, I correctly focused on sales, realizing that an aggressive sales and marketing posture was critical to success. I hired several sales people, something that had not been done in this business previously, since it was primarily a retail business. I was able to create a great amount of sales momentum. I was almost too successful in building top line sales.
Although I had a credit checking process established, it was not very sophisticated. I also had a procedure to track receivables in aggregate, but I did not have a procedure in place to monitor the rapid growth in receivables of my larger clients. I was just too focused on sales, which were exponentially growing, to take the necessary time to analyze the numbers closely. This is a classic entrepreneurial rookie mistake!
Someone can intellectually understand the importance of cash flow, and in my case as an accountant, understand and promote cash flow management, having designed cash flow reporting systems for others. However, until I had actually been swept up in the excitement of building a business, watched sales skyrocket, and spent a majority of my time focusing on expansion and all of the elements associated with the growth phenomenon, it was difficult to appreciate the importance of the cash flow metric. Clarity did not arrive until I got to the point when I was technically bankrupt - THEN the cash flow metric hit home! Turning on a dime, my new focus became fixing this problem.
Based on this experience, I have developed 5 essential tasks for more effective cash flow management, in an expansionary mode or during uncertain economic times:
1. Chose your customers carefully. It is better to not associate with companies that have a poor payment history or are unwilling to readily provide credit information and references. Under the best of circumstances, it is hard to find out if a company is hiding something, and if you are having a difficult time verifying information or something just does not seem right – walk away from these companies. You are better off without them. If they don’t have money or if they are having other difficulties, no matter how much they like you personally, they will not be able to pay their bills.
2. Find an excuse to call – any excuse. Being the “squeaky wheel” will keep you front and center. In uncertain economic times, he who is the squeakiest (in a nice way), is the first to get the grease.
3. Consider credit insurance. Credit insurance allows you to increase credit lines and protect yourself against unforeseen future events, by protecting your receivables against commercial risks which could result in non-payment of your invoices due to buyer insolvencies (e.g., bankruptcy) or protracted defaults (slow payment). Non-payment problems can be caused by fluctuations in demand, natural disasters, or general economic conditions in your customer's business. To find out more about credit insurance, go to Google and do a search for “Credit Insurance Policies”.
4. Turn your sales people into collection agents. Tie commissions and bonuses to on time accounts receivable payments vs. commission being paid at the time the sale closes.
5. If there is a problem, be the first on the scene to work with the client. Be creative on structuring a payment schedule. Bend over backwards to be proactive and to maintain a good working relationship. If you are a facilitator in working with your clients, you will be the first in line vs. being at the end of the line. Being proactive also cements the future relationship. This will keep competitors out when things turn around, even if the competitor offers lower pricing. The relationship is more important than saving a few bucks.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Fires
In many ways, a crisis is like a forest fire. If left unchecked, it can devastate thousands of acres, homes and lives. However, forest fires do have a beneficial effect in nature. Fires clear out old dead brush and decades of undergrowth, and set the stage for vibrant new growth in the future. Fires are Mother Nature’s way of giving rebirth to a forest.
Crisis in a business, if handled properly, can be a healthy thing. Bumps in the road can serve to focus an entrepreneur and propel him/her into action. If challenges are viewed as opportunities vs. disasters, these events can make a huge difference in the long term success of a business. In fact, these types of crises can be the difference between a home run and a single.
A number of years ago, as a CEO of an emerging franchise company, I had aggressively recruited an extraordinarily talented individual to join our management team. This individual, whom I will call Roger, was unique in our industry, and by far the best in the industry at what he did – training franchisees on the technical aspects of our business. After Roger joined our management team, over a period of just a few years, he had completely reoriented the company’s training program and cemented the company’s position as the leader in the industry.
Part of Roger’s job required extensive travel. Travel is difficult for anyone with a family. Roger had some family issues that were exacerbated by his frequent absences on company business. To Roger’s credit, he walked into my office one morning and said that he had to resign. I respected his decision, but when he walked out of the office, I sat there and looked out my window, wondering how in the heck I was going to replace Roger. In many ways Roger was irreplaceable. I was heartsick because he had done so much to make the company the industry leader.
Although the next few months were difficult after Roger left, the management team pulled together to bridge the gap. I moved quickly to fill the void and was able to recruit one of the more successful franchisees to fill Roger’s spot. This proved to be a critical addition to the team. The new Director of Operations and Training brought a different set of skills to the table and built upon what Roger had accomplished.
Roger moved on and chose a different career that was more conducive to his family situation. Roger’s replacement catapulted the company forward, increasing its domination in our market segment. What seemed like disaster turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Without the “new Roger,” the company could not have gone to the next level.
Disasters come in many different forms: the loss of a key employee or a key client, a big proposal or a new competitor entering the market, a key employee embezzling funds, a fire at your office, a technology failure … and the list goes on and on. Whatever these bumps in the road are, there is a process to implement to insure that these disasters don’t derail the company.
5 Strategies to Convert a Disaster Into a Win:
1. Attitude. Don’t get depressed. Take a deep breath and get to work.
2. Vision. Don’t look back. Keep moving forward. Inaction or indecision is a killer.
3. Execution. Realize that execution is more important than having the perfect plan or strategy.
4. Mistakes. Accept that there will be setbacks and mistakes, but as long as you are taking two steps forward, then a step backwards from time to time is expected, and in some cases necessary, to keep you rooted in reality.
5. Drive. Never, never, never give up!
Crisis in a business, if handled properly, can be a healthy thing. Bumps in the road can serve to focus an entrepreneur and propel him/her into action. If challenges are viewed as opportunities vs. disasters, these events can make a huge difference in the long term success of a business. In fact, these types of crises can be the difference between a home run and a single.
A number of years ago, as a CEO of an emerging franchise company, I had aggressively recruited an extraordinarily talented individual to join our management team. This individual, whom I will call Roger, was unique in our industry, and by far the best in the industry at what he did – training franchisees on the technical aspects of our business. After Roger joined our management team, over a period of just a few years, he had completely reoriented the company’s training program and cemented the company’s position as the leader in the industry.
Part of Roger’s job required extensive travel. Travel is difficult for anyone with a family. Roger had some family issues that were exacerbated by his frequent absences on company business. To Roger’s credit, he walked into my office one morning and said that he had to resign. I respected his decision, but when he walked out of the office, I sat there and looked out my window, wondering how in the heck I was going to replace Roger. In many ways Roger was irreplaceable. I was heartsick because he had done so much to make the company the industry leader.
Although the next few months were difficult after Roger left, the management team pulled together to bridge the gap. I moved quickly to fill the void and was able to recruit one of the more successful franchisees to fill Roger’s spot. This proved to be a critical addition to the team. The new Director of Operations and Training brought a different set of skills to the table and built upon what Roger had accomplished.
Roger moved on and chose a different career that was more conducive to his family situation. Roger’s replacement catapulted the company forward, increasing its domination in our market segment. What seemed like disaster turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Without the “new Roger,” the company could not have gone to the next level.
Disasters come in many different forms: the loss of a key employee or a key client, a big proposal or a new competitor entering the market, a key employee embezzling funds, a fire at your office, a technology failure … and the list goes on and on. Whatever these bumps in the road are, there is a process to implement to insure that these disasters don’t derail the company.
5 Strategies to Convert a Disaster Into a Win:
1. Attitude. Don’t get depressed. Take a deep breath and get to work.
2. Vision. Don’t look back. Keep moving forward. Inaction or indecision is a killer.
3. Execution. Realize that execution is more important than having the perfect plan or strategy.
4. Mistakes. Accept that there will be setbacks and mistakes, but as long as you are taking two steps forward, then a step backwards from time to time is expected, and in some cases necessary, to keep you rooted in reality.
5. Drive. Never, never, never give up!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Q&A on Important DOT Regs Change
The Department of Transportation is making regulation changes in an effort to reduce the adulteration of urine specimens.
The regulations that were first announced this summer, were intended to take effect on November 1, 2008. However, on 10/31/2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily delayed the November 1st Direct Observation (DO) requirement for DOT return-to-duty and follow-up tests. This is an administrative stay until the Court completes its review on the matter. Therefore, DO for return-to-duty and follow-up testing will continue to be an employer option, rather than mandatory. This temporary stay is only regarding 49 CFR §40.67 (b).
You may view the complete Stay Order at Administrative Stay Order
DATIA will notify members when this stay is lifted.
When these regs become effective, for any company that is mandated to comply with DOT regulations, it is essential that they familiarize themselves with the following information. I have included an easy-to-understand question and answer document for you to review, located on. Go to FranConnect
The regulations that were first announced this summer, were intended to take effect on November 1, 2008. However, on 10/31/2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily delayed the November 1st Direct Observation (DO) requirement for DOT return-to-duty and follow-up tests. This is an administrative stay until the Court completes its review on the matter. Therefore, DO for return-to-duty and follow-up testing will continue to be an employer option, rather than mandatory. This temporary stay is only regarding 49 CFR §40.67 (b).
You may view the complete Stay Order at Administrative Stay Order
DATIA will notify members when this stay is lifted.
When these regs become effective, for any company that is mandated to comply with DOT regulations, it is essential that they familiarize themselves with the following information. I have included an easy-to-understand question and answer document for you to review, located on. Go to FranConnect
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