Guest Blogger Rita Tavares shares her thought's on Marketing, Ethics and Kindness in the Business World

Rita Tavares of Tristar Balloons Florida.

What comes to be Marketing, Ethics and Kindness in the Business world?

People mistake Marketing for just a nice commercial, a sale of a product or service, or even a nice presentation. Marketing is all of the above, but it is also product research, product development, market research, branding, and customer support, among other things, all in one package.

Many professionals uses Marketing the wrong way, making the imaging of the product something totally different from what it actually is.

According to Professor Raimar Richers, one of the defenders of true Marketing and an authority in the subject says that Marketing is something totally different from what we have been taught to believe.  Marketing is an English word derived from the Latin word “Mercátus”, which means commercialization. Bartels, another Marketing expert, the expression was first used in the early nineteen hundreds, through early publications on commercialization. One can say that true marketing is about meeting necessities and not creating them. Marketing should be an important tool for social balance.     

For the AMA (American Marketing Association) marketing is an organization function and processes that deals with the creation, communication and the delivery of value for the client, as well as the management of the customer relationship, that benefits the organization and the public. It’s not only that creative commercial on TV, or the beautiful illustration on a magazine. Marketing is 90% behind the scenes work and 10% exposure.     

It’s safe to assume that Marketing is the central point of business. Is how you will attract your customers and keep them. To accomplish that you will have to go beyond just an image and deeply understand your market and what your customers are looking for.

Some rules to be followed are: 

·      Always plan what you want to sell

·      Be ethical

·      Market research

·      Work on the product presentation

·      Understand your customer needs

·      Well throughout product lunching plan

·      Logistics, logistics, logistics

·      Product promotions

·      Advertising

·      Post-Sale support

·      Product improvement

·      Unified communication between suppliers, manufactures and client

Marketing complements what people want to buy and not what you have to sell or like to sell. In his book “Marketing”, Professor Raimar Richers states that Marketing is the ability to understand and meet your client’s needs. Marketing should not be used to salvage a poorly designed product. It’s important that you understand that success comes with hard work and that good fortune will elude you if you try to cut corners.       

One of the most challenging things in business is to stay ethical in any situation. Many times the business environment can be so competitive that we are tempted to do “whatever it takes” to gain the edge.

Ethics is a system of moral principles, the rules of conduct that guides each one of us to do the right thing regardless of the situation. To be Ethical is to always know the difference between right and wrong. To never abandon these principles is to be willing to pay the ultimate price.

The question is: How do we stay true to these principles and when you are pressure to deliver? A good way to stay true to what is right is by always expecting to be treated the same way that you treat a person and/or a situation. You hope to never be done wrong by someone or situation. The same way you should treat others and any situation as if you were on the other end.         

Tom Peters in one of his book said:

- Be honest in any situation - is the result of the business, a credit and always mention the author's work, it is ethical kindness = = Marketing.

- Always have the courage to take decisions or mistakes - even against the advice of others, be fair to others, even though for this you have to go over a brother, does not condone unfair people.

- Be tolerant and flexible - you have to know and then judge the people, or do not judge just by listening, it is always dangerous.

- Be healthy - to act according to his principles, even if its principles are not equal to his best friend.

- Be humble in every situation - just so we can recognize individual success.

Ethics and the Internet – The Internet has changed the way we communicate. The speed in which we communicate, get informed, paid and work has forced us to be more disciplined and more careful with our actions. Let’s not use these challenges to not do the right thing. Let’s make sure we influence people “one click at a time”.

And last but not least, Kindness (Marketing= Ethics=Kindness).

Kindness sometimes is seeing as weakness and not strength. The industry expects business aggressiveness and not mild disposition and goodness. The more “in your face” attitude you have, the more result oriented you are. What we don’t realize is that being kind means a healthier emotional person. The healthier you are the more productive and creative you are. Productivity and creativity will undoubtedly put you in a better position to be successful. To have positive attitudes when life presents you challenges is what will define you as a person and a professional. Companies are looking for people that can handle adversity with grace. They are better equipped to establish healthier and productive work environments. 

Available from Amazon and other book stores.

I read a book two months ago called “In Search of Excellence”, by Tom Peters. In the book he talks about how companies can improve their sales performance. The message was that if you want to your company to excel, hire people with positive attitude, team players, instead of people that are all about themselves. In the book he lists some of the things that you may want to look for when interviewing for a position.

- Positive attitudes - An employee who speaks against or denigrates the image of another worker, even if they are "mortal enemies", creates a negative work environment;

- Happy employees will create happy and satisfied customers, increase sales;

- Always try to do the right thing no matter what the situation is. If you hear something that is wrong, do not pass it on, forget it;

- Kindness can generate profits, both in the financial and emotional sense.

References:

-       O que e Marketing – Raimar Richers

-       American Marketing Association

-       The Little Big Things – Tom Peters

-       In Search of Excellence – Tom Peters

-       The New Rules of Marketing – David Meerman Scott

-       Be Excellent at Anything – Tony Schwartz

-       Walt Disney’s Way – New Word City

Thriving in the Balloon Industry by Guest Blogger Megan Dominguez, Pioneer Balloon Company

Every small business could use a lift in this down economy. But, how do you get your business to thrive and not just survive? 

The Qualatex Event 2011

Professional training and continued education have become an essential component of successful small businesses. “In the balloon industry, we know for sure that the most successful businesses we work with are the ones that continue to invest in education,” says Michelle Comerford, European sales manager of Pioneer® Europe Limited.

One great option for those in the balloon industry looking for quality education and professional training is the upcoming Qualatex Event in England. The event will take place 3-5 Nov, 2011 in Heythrop Park, near Oxford England. It is the first major balloon education event in Europe since 2005. The Qualatex Event-England is designed to provide beneficial, business-building information and design ideas. 

Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire, England

“I make every effort to attend all Qualatex events and courses,” Corinne Elliot, CBA, of Deeside Balloons Ltd. in Shotton, United Kingdom said. “The enthusiasm and energy of the instructors inspires me time and time again and gives me the knowledge to grow my business.” 

The Qualatex Event Instructors

The courses will be taught by top instructors who understand the balloon industry and retail market, and have the experience to help participants grow their business. Delegates will have the opportunity to attend more than 50 different courses designed for a variety of skill levels and interests ranging from the fundamentals of balloon decor to advanced techniques. Select courses will also be offered in Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, and French.

“Training is so much more than demonstrating how to make great designs with balloons. We believe that it is important to focus on promoting best business practices as customers are frequently looking for advice on how to price and sell work,” Michelle said. 

Nick Mayhew

 Delegates will also have the opportunity to attend a business-focused session with keynote speaker, Nick Mayhew, senior partner for the accountancy firm Price Bailey. Nick heads up the Management Consultancy Division of the firm, and spends his working time advising small and medium size businesses on a wide range of subjects from writing a business plan to formulating an exit plan and everything in between.  He will help delegates think about their own business, and give them the know-how and confidence to build a brighter future.

The slowed economy has challenged many companies in the balloon industry to work with smaller staffs, leaving little to no time to create new designs. It is very difficult to grow a business and capture repeat customers without changing design offerings. “We understand that it can be difficult running a business and constantly having to juggle a variety of problems, so it is important that we make it as easy as possible,” Michelle said.

Delegates at The Qualatex Event-England will learn four to five new designs in each class, giving them the opportunity to leave the event with at least 20 new design ideas they can use right away. The courses will not only teach participants new designs, but give them hands-on opportunities to create what they’ve learned. In addition to increasing the number of designs they can create, delegates will be able to build-up their Idea Book with new pictures to show clients.

“I am always receptive to new and exciting balloon designs which in turn fuse new ideas to decorate our store thus offering our customers equally new and exciting ideas,” Corinne said. “The visual impact and knowledge I take back to my store is invaluable.”

Efficiency is crucial to running a small business, and The Qualatex Event-England offers a multitude of valuable business-building resources all in one place. The event is a great timesaving education and training opportunity for those in the balloon industry. If you would like more information on The Qualatex Event-England; including a full list of courses, instructors, and registration information, visit thequalatexevent.com.