By Kellie J. Lala

According to an article by eMarketer, one in three online consumers will use a Tablet by 2014.  No, not a headache medicine tablet, silly, an iPad or Android tablet.  They are relatively new (2 years or so) but at the end of 2011, 33.7 million Americans were using one monthly.  That is an increase of over 158% since its first year out.  I think Apple is such an amazing company that consistently sets the bar really high.  They never stop inventing or out-doing their last invention.  Can you say that same thing about you, your business or your career?  I know, it is hard to stay fresh in an ever changing world.  I try to stay current by reading magazines, trade papers and sales articles.  I love sharing a relevant story with a prospect or client.  With our fast-paced world, we need to always be striving to be better.  What have you done to improve yourself this week?  Think about it and have a great Z day!  Thanks for stopping by.  

Silver Linings

By Glen Gardner, marketing and brand consultant

Watching and listening to the coverage of the recent heat wave and drought hitting much of the country reminded me that in many “bad” situations there are potentially good outcomes for many businesses.

As I’m writing this, the temperature here in Cedar Rapids is cracking through the 100 degree mark. I’ve seen stories about the disastrous impact of the heat on many sectors of the economy. For sure, there will be many negative impacts, from higher corn prices to farmers suffering huge losses.

There will also be winners. The point was driven home to me when I was talking with a farmer earlier in the week. She grows corn and pumpkins.  She told me the corn crop is looking really bad with the sweet corn already a total loss. She also told me the pumpkin crop was thriving and the dry weather meant there would be less labor needed to wash the pumpkins when they are harvested.

I noticed the same phenomenon when I talked to people about the flooding that plagued Cedar Rapids four years ago. There were many businesses that were destroyed or damaged, but there were others that thrived. The demolition business got a huge shot in the arm as did the construction sector that has been busy rebuilding damaged parts of the city.

I also talked with a catering company and a pizza restaurant that had their best years ever during the flooding. People needed prepared food and those companies were in a position to provide it.

So, where is the silver lining in the challenges your business faces? It takes creativity and courage, but often times there is opportunity in adversity.

AdSpeak

By Julie Hein, General Manager

Sometimes we frighten prospects or clients when we don't want their ads to sound like other ads.  We're trying to engage listeners.  Persuade them to like you, show up at your (virtual or front) door and spend some of their valuable time and money with you.  That's a tall order if you want to sound like some other guy or you try to say 30 things in 30 seconds.

Be yourself but talk to them in their own language.  One of Roy Williams partners puts it well here if you'd like a second opinion.

We're here if you need us. 

Food anyone?

By Kellie J. Lala

Boy, do we eat a lot.  A list of the 2011 largest retailers was recently released by the National Retail Federation (7/2/12).  No surprise, Wal-Mart tops the list by a huge margin.  The number 2 spot went to the largest supermarket company in the United States-Kroger. They have found some national success while still maintaining it local footprint.  They grew 9.1% from 2010.  Safeway saw a 5.6% growth and rejoined the top 10 list (first time since 2007). New programs like the mobile-driven “Just of you” helped gain more loyalty.  Whole Foods (with a new store opening this week in West Des Moines) and Aldi both enjoyed double digit growth last year.  With increase costs for food and fuel many consumers turned to club retailers and a strong desire to save time and money.  Convenience is the key with both of these commodities that

we all need to function on a daily basis. 

The 2011 largest retailers list is as follows:

1.      Wal-Mart $316B   +2.6%

2.      Kroger  $85B

3.      Target  $68B

4.      Walgreens $66B

5.      Cost-co   $64B

6.      The Home Depot  $62B

7.      CVS  $59B

8.      Lowe’s  $49B

9.      Best Buy  $37B

     10.  Safeway  $36B

What is your favorite store?  What have you cut down on since the recession ended in 2009?  Do you use grocery coupons to save $?  Happy shopping everyone!

What do you support?

By Kellie J. Lala
This is a great question to ask yourself.  What is important to you?  What do you value in life?  My belief is that the more you give of yourself or of your resources to others, the better you feel. I have done many things over the years.  I counseled at high school church camp for many years, I volunteer at Theatre Cedar Rapids and Brucemore.  I am active in my church.  One of my current passions is a primary school in Karatu, Tanzania in East Africa.  I raise much needed money to help build more classrooms, support students or buy books for the future library. 

J.C. Penney just launched a charity program on July 1^st that encourages customers to donate to a new cause each month.  How do they do that you might want to know?  They invite customers to round up their purchase to the nearest whole dollar and donate that difference to the charity partner of the month.  For July, that partner is United Service Organizations (USO) which helps America’s troops and their families. 

So, let me ask you again….what do YOU support?

Who Is Your Competitor--Think Far and Wide

By Julie Hein, General Manager

My husband stays home with our daughters.  So, that opportunity cost of lost income is the competition for the solid surface countertop store. Fill in many categories of lost revenue that we would spend if he worked outside the house:  vacation, auto, restaurants/take-out, house cleaning.  We had a choice between devoted-dad (high quality child care) and pretty counter tops.  We picked the expensive childcare.  The value was there for us.  Just like someone who buys a pool for their backyard—that might cut into their new HDTV budget.  Or buying gasoline at $3/gallon cuts into the Happy Meal budget.  In order to go on a great vacation, you drive your car one more year.  You get the picture. 

Your competitors aren’t just the obvious ones.  Your thoughts, efforts and marketing can’t all be directed toward reacting to the jerk who stole your best employee last year and runs a huge sale every July.  Look at what your potential customers are doing.  How can you best help them?  Do you need to throw out old models and systems?  Be sure you know exactly what game you’re playing—and who all the real threats are.  Think big as you consider what your customer needs from you.  Figure out the value you provide and all the true reasons that they buy from everyone in your industry and the ones that they buy from you specifically.