Alf's Blog

Space Rental in Trendy Shopping Spots Helps Entrepreneurs

Artists and entrepreneurs are foregoing traditional advertising and PR in favor of shelf rentals in established retail stores, mini-boutiques and warehouse type buildings with independent stalls. In New York, young designers are lining up for a space in EMERGE*nyc. Available on a month to month basis, the spaces, sized from 50 to 150 square ft, go for USD 1,400 to USD 2,500 a month. With such high demand for a space in this part of downtown New York, owners of EMERGE*nyc carefully select designers that fit the profile and aesthetic of the entire space. Springwise gives a more detailed report on this growing trend.

To Listen You Must First Shut Up!

In these times of bombast and braggadocio, where everyone feels entitled to his/her fifteen minutes in the spotlight, it is now obvious that the art of listening has been leeched from the American character.

In the media, TV pundits, of the O'Reilly and Hannity type engage in the homicidal pastime of death-by-decibel. Any gaggle of politicians gathered together soon results in oxygen starvation for those unfortunate enough to be assembled in the same room. This drive to be heard, to foist one's opinion upon the other, is nothing more than the equivalent of barging in line, of breaking into the queue. The behavior is probably symptomatic of a need to be heard and acknowledged, perhaps even loved. Explanations are best left to the sociologists.

For the business practitioner, the failure to listen ultimately results in business loss or failure. It's one of the primary reasons why, in a nation where the practice of business generally provides the "best practices" for the rest of the world, the consumer is still exposed to inferior customer service, and brand fatality is not uncommon.

The "hows" of listening

The rules of good listening are based on a platform of courtesy, good manners and common sense. It doesn't require the experience and training of a business ethicist or management guru to appreciate the need and value of the "do unto others" philosophy that drives good listening behavior. Read More

Black Friday in the Green for Online Merchants

Doom sayer predictions for this year's Black Friday had Joe Consumer in-debt, over-spent and un-willing to pull out his wallet for the annual after Thanksgiving shopping work out. Preliminary numbers are proving our skeptic financial friends to be wrong. Depending on what you're reading, retail sales look to be down 1 percent from last year. The bigger picture is unfolding in the world of online consumerism, with initial reports showing a 28 percent increase in online buying over the same time period last year. Solid sales figures for the weekend after Thanksgiving have traditionally predicted strong holiday sales through the New Year, but much is yet to unfold, and retailers are pursuing agressive price cutting strategies to get our attention.

What are you spending on gas?

The business model is the same, distribution systems are the same and demand remains strong. But, for the first time in recent memory gasoline prices are higher in the southeast than in the northeast.

Our newsletter editor has been running back and forth and up and down the east coast for the last month and continues to lament loudly that the per gallon price on NY turnpikes is actually less than it is in Atlanta.

Are you ready to turn in your gas guzzler in favor of a more fuel efficient compact?

Calculate your cost of gasoline for a year, or for a trip 

Calculate the cost of gas for a trip between two cities 

Calculate your cost of gasoline if you don't know your car's average gas mileage

Lost in Translation

A Russian mother-daughter team is suing the Viacom subsidiary for "emotional distress" allegedly caused by a case of miscommunication on the popular reality show Date My Mom. Apparently, a mishap in translation has a mother speaking about her daughter's ass instead of her heart. Much more than a cultural competency issue, if accurate, the issue of translation can be applied to many entertainment mediums where the dollar far out weighs a call for objectivity or clear communication.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/355652p-303074c.html

Help Rebuild New Orleans

Initial public response to Hurricane Katrina has died down and homeless families, jobless parents and bankrupt small businesses need our help.  I propose establishing a small business venture fund that will provide loans of up to $5000 to support the rebuilding of a business. An amount that meager won’t fund the rebuilding of a restaurant or retail business, but it may be all that’s needed to get a craftsman back in business, a construction worker a new set of tools, a shoeshine operator a set of supplies and a stand. Here’s the deal. My wife and I are in for $5000. If we can get a minimum commitment of $50,000, we’ll approach a corporation or foundation for matching funds. Then we’ll have the respected New Orleans City Business magazine disperse the money to worthy loan recipients, the little guy and gal who most run the risk of falling through the cracks. What do you think? It’s not as easy as writing a check to the Red Cross, but it could be equal or greater value when the waters recede and memories fade. As always I seek and value your feedback and response to what I propose. ([email protected] or 404-307-8773).

Cancer, Fish & eBay

Clean out your closets, sell your "stuff" on eBay, and donate the proceeds to The American Cancer Society--everybody wins.

In addition to, "one man's junk being another man's treasure", your junk can now actually help fund cancer research. MissionFish, a nonprofit organization specializing in online charitable auctions developed Giving Works for eBay. Giving Works items are marked with a charity ribbon icon so buyers know they are supporting a good cause. Giving Works items appear in three categories for the price of one: the category you select, the eBay Giving Works category and on the American Cancer Society MissionFish homepage.

You can donate from 10 to 100 percent of the final sale to support the American Cancer Society’s programs of research, education, advocacy, and service. This service is FREE and is a simple way to make a contribution. Your gifts may be considered tax-deductible in accordance with IRS rules.

Spammed by Zombies and Frightened by Spammers

According to reports published by Information Week, zombie machines and scare tactics are spammers choice in tools-of-the-trade.

For the third straight month, most spam sent across the Internet originated on zombie machines, hijacked computers remotely controlled by spammers.

According to Denver-based MX Logic, 56 percent of the spam it tracked during July was sent by zombies infected with a malicious Trojan horse and transformed into spam-spewing monster. That's down from June's 62 percent, but up slightly from May's 56 percent. 

MX Logic also said that the percentage of unsolicited commercial e-mail complying with the federal anti-spam CAN SPAM Act ticked up a bit in July to 4 percent from the previous 3 percent. No wonder my inbox is bulging day after day with rediculous offers.

If zombies aren't frightening enough, spammers have apparently grown weary of their hard-sell sales tactics and are switching to scare tactics instead.

Spam promoting personal or family safety is on the upswing. A new wave of junk mail, with alarmist subject headings such as "Protect your child from sex offenders! Download now!" and "You can't see it, but it can see you," is hitting mailboxes.

Where will it end, and who will be the smart marketer who effectively counteracts the growing public frustration over inbox invasions?

The Death of Brands--Brandicide (TM)

Marketing expert, Steve Arbeit, has written an excellent opinion piece on the death of brands or as he terms it, "Brandicide". My recent disheartening experiences with once great consumer names such as General Motors, McDonald's, Macy's, any of the major domestic airlines or "three color" car rental companies would confirm his observations. Read Steve's full article in the current edition of The Alf Report

Naming--is it science or art?

If you are struggling to name a company, product or the like, this is an interesting, basic article on the subject. Iconcast makes the point that Naming is not a science. Naming is an art. We are not linguists or scientists, and a good product makes a good name.