Brewed Fresh Daily

1. Stay in or go out on New Year's Eve? Probably staying in 2. If you stay home, do you stay up to ring in the new year, or fall asleep earlier? I plan on falling asleep early 3. If you go out, do you prefer to attend a party at someone's home, or go to a bar/nightclub/restaurant? If I were going out, I'd rather spend time with friends at their house 4. Make resolutions, or do you not bother? Never bother 5. Ever been to Times Square (New York City) on New Year's Eve, or just watched the ball drop on TV? Television. Too many people in Time Square. 6. Toast the New Year with champagne or a soft drink? Don't like the taste of champagne 7. Do you have a special New Year's dinner or not? Pork and Saurkraut for good luck 8. Do you already have your 2003 calendar, or do you wait to buy one until the stores mark them down? Never need to buy calenders. I get them as gifts. 9. Take down Christmas decorations: before or after New Year's? You don't need to take them down if you don't put them up! 10. Funny hats and noisemakers, or a quieter celebration? Quiet

posted by George Nemeth  # 12/31/2002 05:13:00 AM

Assuming you�d like to improve your overall revenue generation process, you need to know where to start. The following approach has worked for service firms, and can work for you. 1. Change the premise. Enter this process with the premise that both marketing and sales have one purpose: generate maximum revenue for the firm. If defensiveness and bickering are allowed to continue between marketing and selling, your process improvement progress will be greatly hindered. 2. Add up the costs. Add up everything you are spending on sales and marketing now. Don�t forget to include everything like management time, salaries, and overhead. 3. Categorize. Assign each dollar you are spending to specific tasks designed to produce specific outputs. Force yourself to categorize the costs and place them into buckets. 4. Challenge each cost. Find out what is really working (not just what everyone thinks is working) and what is not. Find out what you can do for less cost and time while achieving the same results. Be diligent about supporting every assertion and assumption with clearly measurable and defensible facts. 5. Plug leaks. Stop spending money on what is not working. If you don�t take active and decisive action to stop spending on unproductive or unnecessary activities, useless dollars will perpetually leak out of your profits. 6. Focus on goals. Establish clear, integrated goals and targets for each sales and marketing task and activity. No dollars should be spent frivolously on tactics that don�t work. No new dollars and new strategies should be engaged without success measures. Everything must have a measurable goal. 7. Communicate. Make sure that everyone involved understand those goals, why they are important, and how each person is connected to the tasks, goals, and firm�s success. 8. Implement. Service companies have a tendency to let bold projects, plans, and goals fade away like old soldiers. Implement with commitment. Of course, this is easier said than done, but implementation assurance is a topic for another article. 9. Measure. Measure your results. 10. Repeat. Start the process again (hopefully at step 2 this time), and don�t stop repeating the process. Make measurable continuous improvement in marketing and sales a part of your culture. It�s hard work, yes. What worth doing isn�t? But once you engage the process, you will be surprised at how much time, cash, and sanity you gain. Great service companies have a continuously improving, integrated marketing and sales engine designed to generate maximum revenue for the company.

'A successful small business marketer is a cross between an eternal optimist and a hard-nosed realist. If you don't cultivate optimism, your efforts will be sporadic, half-hearted, and uncreative. On the other hand, if you look at the world only through "rose-colored glasses", you may develop a false sense of confidence and plunge blindly into an expensive media blitz, bypassing the necessary planning and evaluation. While optimism is an essential state of mind for pursuing any goal, it needs to be tempered with a dose of realism.' 'Sometimes a company's worst enemy can be self-defeating attitudes. You know it's time to regroup and re-examine attitudes and your creative process when you hear yourself or one of your associates saying, "I didn't think that ad would work, anyway!" Does that sound familiar? If you ever have serious reservations about an ad, a marketing campaign, or a sales presentation, then it's time to step back, re-evaluate it, and get some outside feedback before launching it.'

posted by George Nemeth  # 12/30/2002 09:02:00 AM

Though you have shelters and institutions, precarious lodgings. while the rent is paid, subsiding basements where the rat breeds or sanitary dwellings with numbered doors or a house a little better than your neighor's; When the stranger says, "What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?" What will you answer? "We all dwell together to make money from each other"? Or "This is a community?" - from Choruses of the Rock by T.S. Eliot

'Many people make an effort at setting goals but few do it effectively. According to the Bible, there are some principles that make your goal setting a powerful tool for leadership and achievement. Effective goal setters are willing to discipline themselves, work hard and sacrifice for delayed gratification. They believe in their God-given gifts and calling. The stay motivated. They form a plan of action. And they have a clear vision of where they're going. I like what a famous German theologian said about goals: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius and power in it." Have you harnessed the genius and power of lofty goals?'

posted by George Nemeth  # 12/28/2002 09:48:00 AM

• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR by Al Ries, Laura Ries
• The Work Matters by Tom Peters on CD
• Running with the Giants: What the Old Testament Heroes Want You to Know About Life and Leadership on tape
• Guerrilla Publicity: Hundreds of Sure-Fire Tactics to Get Maximum Sales for Minimum Dollars by Jay Conrad Levinson

So I picked up a book that I was reading, but never finished. There's so much to it, that it's better to take it a little at a time. The book is Building the Awesome Organization. I was trying to pick a chapter I haven't read yet, and I settled on Prime Your Top Team for Growth. I'll leave you with a quote:

"Awesome people expect the CEO and the top team (the mayor and the city council?) to provide the leadership to grow the company (city?). They are unlikely to join a company with less than awesome leadership, and they certainly won't stay at a company that has a dysfunctional top team."

"There are four fundamental things you must do to successfully cross the trench: (1) Act early, (2) develop a totally new product, (3) give the new product a new name, and (4) move boldly."

Focus is:

• simple
• memorable
• powerful
• revolutionary
• competitive
• the future
• internal as much as external
• what the country (city?)needs
• not a product
• not an umbrella
• focus does not appeal to everybody
• not hard to find
• not instantly successful
• not a strategy
• not forever

The vagaries of life though painful, teach us not to cling to this fleeting world. - Ikkyu (1394-1481)

He also shared with me about how ticked he got when he heard about a friend's grandson who passed up a scholarship by dropping out of school because "he wasn't getting along with his roommate". When my grandfather graduated from high school, he went to work in a nursery. He worked 10 hour days for 12 cents an hour! When he was growing up, the city of Mentor was nothing but farm land and apple orchards. Speaking of apples, on my way out, he gave me a bag of apples and oranges. I'll always remember that when they were growing up, that's what they got for Christmas. Apples, oranges, and walnuts were special to them.

There's nothing like a visit with grandpa to put things into prospective for you. I'm grateful that he's as coherent as he is, so I can benefit from his experience.

"More than eleven thousand people tried to commit suicide during the past twenty-four hours. According to a report from the United Nations, one thousand of these people succeeded in taking their lives. And a high percentage of these suicides were among young people."

Fast Company sat down with human-resources consultant John Izzo, a best-selling author and onetime Presbyterian minister who is now preaching the gospel of organizational change -- and sharing his latest ideas on how to keep people engaged during tough times. 1. Lose the survival language. If your idea of inspiration is to call everyone together and tell them, "Now's the time to pull together, folks, or we could go out of business," think again. Vague, panic-ridden language only heightens employee anxiety -- without providing clear suggestions for how to cope. A better idea: Engage the troops. "Ask employees for suggestions for what to do during the slow period in order to prepare for future growth," says Izzo. "Don't sugarcoat the truth, but remind them about where you're going over the long term." 2. Celebrate the victories -- even the little ones. "Things were booming three years ago, and successes today look small by comparison," says Izzo. "People are bashful about celebrating. But you can get too focused on bad news, and it's important to take notice of success, however small." Forget the extravagant parties that characterized the late 1990s. Instead, try to highlight at least one success at every meeting. Lawrence Fish, chairman, president, and CEO of Citizens Bank, makes it a habit to write a thank-you or congratulatory note every day to someone on his team. Don't dismiss small gestures: They cast big shadows. 3. Reinstate summer hours . . . in the winter! With revenue off and profits all but nonexistent, bonuses are in short supply these days, as are promotions and raises. "What companies refuse to acknowledge is that for many employees, money and leisure time compete pretty equally with each other," says Izzo. That means that if you can't give people a raise, consider giving them an extra week off. Or offer flexible work arrangements that will allow employees to pursue personal interests, classes, or other activities outside work. 4. Support pet projects. The company 3M famously allows employees to spend 15% of their time on projects of their own interest -- even if those projects are completely outside their job descriptions. Consider initiating a similar policy in your own department. The encouragement may be enough to get staffers excited again -- and produce ideas that could kick-start new growth. 5. Less action? Try more talk. Take a page out of FedEx CIO Robert Carter's book: He sponsors town-hall meetings with his IT staff about every six weeks, and he sits down each month with eight randomly selected employees over lunch or breakfast. Now's the time for frequent, informal conversations with your team. That way, when business picks up and you have the budget for bonuses again, you'll still have a team to give them to.

Building a multi-step focus In 1921, Ford had one brand with more than 50% of the market, GM had 7 brands and only 12%. Alfred Sloan from GM then developed a multi-step focus, but with very clear price and brand breaks, a strategy that paid off with time. Now, they�re back to an unfocused range: if you have $50k do you buy a flash Chevrolet or a cheap Cadillac? What can you do? (1) follow the market and diversify your range (2) hang in there with the original focus (3) launch new brands to capture the changing market Six steps to an effective multi-step focus: 1. Focus on a common product area 2. Select a single attribute to segment (e.g., price) 3. Set up rigid distinctions between brands 4. Create different not similar brand names 5. Launch a new brand only when you can create a new category 6. Keep control of the brands at the highest level

10. Direct mail: Direct mail is a great way to generate leads for, and possibly directly sell, services. Think most carefully about your list first, and then your list, and then focus on your list. After that, work on the offer, the price point, the call to action, and the copy. 9. Phone scripts: Don�t use a script when someone calls in to inquire about your services. Practice your conversation techniques until you are confident and fluent, and then have a conversation with the customer, not a soliloquy. 8. Proposals vs. quotes: People want to buy ROI, not features. You need to demonstrate the value of services, and it�s not easy when the customer can�t see, touch, and feel them. You need to propose the value proposition, not quote a price. 7. Measure: Know where your successes originate. What lists are working? What do sales reps sell more than others and why? Where are you getting your leads that convert into business? Which services are selling and which are not? What is the ROI for your marketing and sales expenditures? Only with measurement can you increase you success chances and drop unsuccessful tactics. 6. Keep your sales focus: Regardless of the state of the economy, never never never give up! If clients and prospects aren�t buying, send articles, offer your help, talk them through problems, be with them at every turn. You�ll have a lot of misses, but you�ll get some revenue when you didn�t expect it. Plus, you�ll be well positioned for the rebounding budgets when they come. 5. Price strategically: You may not get the rates you want these days. Still, keep the focus on value by offering creative pricing. Use performance clauses, be strategic about payments, offer extras. Be careful, however, about cutting prices. When the economy rebounds, it won�t be quite as easy to raise them as it was to lower them. 4. Package services crisply: Make sure your offer and the value proposition are clear. If they�re too big and confusing for the client to get their arms around, they might not know how to buy it, or to make the case to their company to release the funds. 3. Transition from products smartly: If you�re trying to get a product sales force to sell services, you might be meeting some roadblocks. Make sure you analyze completely what they need to do to make the shift from selling just products to selling both or just services. If you�re just telling them to do it and hoping they come around, you�re in for a long and frustrating wait. 2. Differentiate: If you�re the 32nd company to come down the pike and offer them the same services, it�s likely you won�t make an impression. What makes you special? When you know what you want to say, communicate that message clearly and succinctly so much so that they can articulate back to you what makes you so special. 1. Deliver: Relentlessly deliver results. Don�t shoot for client satisfaction, build a cadre of loyal client evangelists who can�t fathom working with anyone but you and your company. Once you stop, the hungrier service provider will take your clients and your revenue. This may be an old message, but it�s still on the top of the list.

Good friends, my teaching Of the Dharma takes Meditation and wisdom As its basis. Never under any Circumstances say that Meditation and wisdom Are different; They are one unity, Not two things. Meditation itself is the Substance of wisdom; Wisdom itself is the Function of meditation - Hui-neng (638-713)

Changing Food Industry Means Less for Charitable Pantries: A more efficient food industry -- producing fewer dented cans with missing labels -- signals bad news for community pantries. Food banks find it harder to fill their pantry shelves.

A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley, when he spotted a world-famous heart surgeon in his shop. The heart surgeon was waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his bike. The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hey Doc can I ask you a question?" The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "So Doc, look at this engine. I also can open hearts, take valves out, fix'em, put in new parts and when I finish this will work just like a new one. So how come I get a pittance and you get the really big money, when you and I are doing basically the same work?" The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic......"Try doing it with the engine running!"

"I would like you to know that I am starting a revolution in my own way by creating a new foundation to nurture, help fund, apply and transfer "innovations" in the economic development field. This foundation is called the Economic Development Innovation Foundation (EDIF). It is scheduled for launch in 2003. If you're interested, contribute your thoughts at our web survey at: http://www.edpro.net/iannone

"The AIP party was a hoot. It was crowded with people wanting to have fun instead of the usual polite networking who-can-I-meet attitude. My wife even danced with Thomas Mulready! Thomas was DJing and with only a little prodding, started to play the "now, old school" new wave, alternative, not quite punk stuff including DEVO and the Ramones. I read you like this stuff too. No wonder we get along. Coffee and bizarre technoid party music, what's better!"

'"Monoculture," according to the speaker, is why they -- Europeans, Arabs, everybody -- despise us: They�re under cultural siege. Starbucks, he warned, had just opened its first store in Zurich, the alleged birthplace of European coffee, and the Seattle-based chain would do everything it could to displace every native coffee shop in the city. Like infesting alien pods, American culture threatens to transmogrify the planet, as the speaker put it, into one big New Jersey. Starbucks was just one example.'

This really irks me. There are plenty of local software companies! Why can't we spend our money to support local companies? I'm going to refinance my mortgage so that my dollars go to some other bank that will support the local economy.

"What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books." - Thomas Carlyle

'Francois Voltaire, the noted French atheist, once stated, "In twenty years, Christianity will be no more. My single hand shall destroy the edifice it took twelve apostles to rear." Yet when he faced death he cried, "I am abandoned by God and man!" Voltaire's doctor expressed astonishment at the emotional torment his patient experienced before passing into eternity.'

"Some sales people make presentations that tend to be too long and vague. They do not appear to ever get to the point. They may be pleasant people, but customers tend to subconsciously avoid seeing them because they don't really follow this sales person's line of thinking. If you tend to be very nice and very sweet, and everybody loves you, take note. You may be boring the rest of us. Make your points clearly, summarize often. Use visuals and put your proposal and summary in writing."

Now that I've got that rant out of the way, back to the nostalgia. When the scene was happening, I was into New Wave. After I graduated high school, I saved up enough money to buy a portable CD player. Back then it was $350! One of my first purchases was The Story of the Clash, Vol. 1. I was such an idiot because, in a new cd buying frenzy, I traded it in. I've redeemed myself and my jones for their music, by pulling the trigger on a box set. Merry Christmas to me!

• Phoenix
• Atlanta
• Raleigh-Durham
• Salt Lake City
• Charlotte
• Las Vegas

1. Great Educational Systems
2. Excellent Airports
3. No Industrial Heritage to Rid Itself of
4. Cheap Labor and Office Space

This is the article that I'm bringing to the next CAT meeting. I think there are some serious things that the Cleveland area needs to do to be move competitive when it comes to encouraging small business startups and growing companies. I think we can compete with those cities, but we need to get focused.

katzenjammer (KAT-sen-jam-uhr) noun 1. Hangover 2. Distress; depression. 3. Confusion; clamor; uproar. [From German, from Katzen (plural of Katze, cat) + Jammer (distress, wailing).]

I had a long conversation with a couple of people afterwords. Maybe it's just the people that I attract, but the consensus is, it seems to be an awful lot of hype. There wasn't a single, practical answer to the burning questions of implementation. There was alot of vision, which is necessary, but it still seems a long way off. But it's a project that is ambition enough that will garner international attention. Which will hopefully inspire people in the area to do bigger things.

Which is why I asked Chris if he knew of a program that captured web site content and mailed it. His response, to my amazement, was that he still does it by hand! Then he sent me this link - The Gnome Knows.

"Many salespeople are strongly competitive and high-pressure. They're driven to outsell their comrades, the competition, and even themselves. They are often top producers.

But their success is frequently short-lived, subject to the 'paper match' syndrome, hot as hell, but quickly gone out. Because their style does not build the long-term customer loyalty that is so critical in guerrilla selling. Stop and listen more. You'll hear this advice frequently.

"Art as economic development - How many times do we have to say it? The arts and artists stimulate the economy, salvage neighborhoods, renovate buildings, and can be the very thing that saves this great town. The Beachland Ballroom on Waterloo Road has been revitalizing their community for over two years, recently they ushered in the What Not Coffee Shop and now they are expanding with the Beachland Salvage, offering �loads of neat stuff from vintage clothes, vinyl records of all kinds, weird furniture, outsider art, art deco, 50s modern, 60s mod, 70s disco, lurid paperbacks, old toys and even funky kitchenwares!� Check out the grand opening on Fri 12/13 from 6-9PM 16001 Waterloo, 404-075"

"The new leaders of Cleveland are looking for a foothold, while the old guard continues to stumble. Guess who said this: �The Growth Association, Cleveland Tomorrow, Cleveland Today, Cleveland Next Tuesday. They have not been cutting it.� Which radical young turk was caught voicing this sentiment that everyone knows (but no one wants to speak)? None other than Sam Miller of Forest City. Check the Becky Gaylord piece here, and see the list of nine economic development groups with a combined budget of about $80 million (most of it tax money), and then tell me what all this cash buys us? Takeaway: Pittsburgh found itself in a similar situation 10 years ago with dozens of ineffectual, infighting eco dev groups (sounds familiar), and they came together under a common vision called the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance."

Let the wise one watch over the mind, So hard to perceive, so artful, Alighting where it wishes; A watchfully protected mind Will bring happiness. - Dhammapada

"The FAQ, or Frequently Asked Questions document, has become one of the best-known publications on the Net. An FAQ combines in one document all the common questions about a subject. To leverage your effort in preparing an FAQ document, publish it in several locations, such as your storefront, your favorite discussion forums, and one or more bulletin boards. You can also promote it in your e-mail and newsgroup signatures and offer to send it to people who request it. An FAQ is easy to create, and it can score a lot of points for your company's credibility."

It also arrived a day a head of schedule. I had deleted the email with the tracking number, and Maria of Sweet Maria's was kind enough to send it to me. They're enjoying sunny California, but she said she misses the snow around the holidays. Make sure you stopped by their site. They've got the most info about coffee and roasting on the web. Tom periodically sends out a newsletter that is always interesting!

"Tom Peters, in an impassioned speech to a group of companies that won awards for employee relations, said top-performing companies know that the new economy is about networking and relationships--not just with prospects and customers but with employees as well. He talked about encouraging weirdness--hire people with strange ideas, he said. He talked about promoting diversity--creativity and energy come from mess. And he talked about getting respect--to get it, you gotta give it." "This month's Hit-the-Mark MarketingTM story is about how one company made measurable strides in sales lead generation by inviting the opinions of everyone involved--and honoring what they said. Read how this large retail software company did it: How to Keep Prospects from Stonewalling Your Call."

posted by George Nemeth  # 12/09/2002 10:23:00 AM

Sages use the mind deliberately, Based on its essence. With the support of the spirit, They finish what they begin. Thus they sleep without dreams And wake without troubles. - Huainanzi

"Let's see: A cup of coffee contains 150 milligrams of caffeine; we've a four-cup coffeemaker; I usually drink eight cups' worth before leaving our apartment ... carry the zero ... Yup. I'm addicted."

Last night, my wife and I went out with her mom and dad, brother and sister-in-law to celebrate Nancy's (her sister-in-law) birthday. We went to a really great spot in Chargin Falls called Firefly. It's on the Northeast corner of Route 306 and Washington Street. I had a salad appetizer and pan fried grouper. For dessert, we had a bread pudding that was delicious.

Back to my rant. Notice anything about the name of the restaurant? That's right! No Link! Am I completely wrong, or is the internet a cost effective way to disseminate information about your business? I'm sure it takes time, money, knowledge and other resources to develop and maintain a website, but isn't it valuable? I would think that a place like Firefly would make a kickass page because it's such a great place to eat. Maybe that's just me projecting my expectations on them.

The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers. - William Wordsworth

Coffee, wake up Grab a quick cup. Cream, sugar, sweet and low Or just a cup of joe- Black and strong. Buzzing along Caffiene fix To you lips Comes the speed That you need Bright eyed and bushey-tailed This fix won't fail. - Joe Lucarelli

"The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am" - Dr. Sam Peeples

"In my personal version of that answer, Cleveland is integrated, not only in terms of the people that locate in our neighborhoods, but also along the work-live axis. We value sustainability. We are quick to applaud and test new ideas. We are a community in the richest sense of the word! We treasure the dignity in each other and the beauty of nature together."

omphaloskepsis � \ahm-fuh-loh-SKEP-sis\ � (noun) : contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation; also : indisposition to motion, exertion, or change

I was thinking about this regarding the city of Cleveland. There are definately some cities that are taking some votes away from us. I think we need to identify those cities and differentiate ourselves from them. I have no idea what that means, but I think it's the only thing that will work. What do we have that they don't?

Turn on IFC! Talk about a bummer. Late night is obviously not the time to watch inspiring movies. First, there was Permanent Midnight. Then, there was that movie about the monkey. My barely adaquate physic defenses began to crumble.

So, I made myself a cup of strong coffee, and put on some Christmas tunes. Maybe later I settle down for a long winter's nap.

Jerry Baldwin of Peet's made coffee in a plunger pot. Peet's is famous in coffee history for being the coffee shop that inspired the founders of Starbucks to open their shops in Seatle. Kudos to Peet's for grabbing up the coffee.com domain as well. After watching Jerry and Martha drinking their brew, I rushed up and ordered some. I've always wanted to try it. After seeing Jerry brag about every bag ordered over the internet having a roast date on the bag. I had to put them to the test.

I'll leave you with this thought, uttered by the queen of homemaker porn herself, "Here's to ridding the world of the incipient washwater people drink"!

"Case Western Reserve University has taken a big step in its plan to make high-speed Internet connectivity available throughout University Circle. CWRU has entered into an agreement with American Fiber Systems Inc. of Rochester, N.Y., which owns dark (unused) fiber networks in Cleveland, Kansas City, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Nashville and Salt Lake City. The agreement with AFS provides unlimited bandwidth to the 11 institutions in University Circle, with the option to acquire additional bandwidth for Greater Cleveland. However, efforts to convince the state Legislature to help pay for that additional bandwidth appear to be unsuccessful. The state capital budget, expected to be passed on Friday, Dec. 6, doesn't include $1 million that Cleveland civic officials had asked for to help pay for what is called the Digital Cleveland project. Despite the lack of state support, Lev Gonick, chief information officer and vice president for information technology services for CWRU, said the regional network that connects business districts, communication centers, neighborhoods and business parks still can become a reality with regional support."

"as we enter into the full of the cough and cold season, dear readers, take heed. when a persistent cough bothers you, chocolate may contain your cure. i'm not making this up: a phytochemical in chocolate, the well-known theobromine, has been proven to be a more effective cough medication than even codeine."

"Louisville has done it Numerous readers have insisted that we continue following the impossible-to-imagine (here, anyway) vote that allowed this courageous Kentucky town to put aside their petty bickering and start working together. They�ve merged with their suburbs and jumped from 66th largest city to the 16th largest. Check their story here. It�s the first such consolidation in years, and we�re all paying close attention. The head of their Chamber of Commerce says, 'We no longer want to be America�s best-kept secret.' I wonder how much longer Cleveland wants to remain as such."