first quarter 2011
The Official Publication of Latin Business Club of America
www.latinbiz.net
LATIN BUSINESS CLUB
10YEARS BRINGING PROFESSIONALS
OF AMERICA CELEBRATED
OF
TOGETHER
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first quarter 2011
BUSINESS IMMIGRATION LAW FORUM Issues and Answers
Presented in collaboration with
8850 NW 20 STREET DORAL, FL 33172
March 2, 2011 8:00 am - 11:30 am Advanced Reservations
COMING SOON! $35.00
This important Forum features a distinguished panel of Immigration Attorneys, each specialized in Business Immigration Law. The panel will offer a useful and pragmatic overview of nonimmigrant work authorization for specialty occupations/ professional workers (H-1Bs), intracompany transfers of Executives/ Managers/ Specialists from abroad (L-1), and treaty traders and investors (E-1 and E-2). Topics will also include permissible business activities on a visitor (B-1) visa, employment-based options for permanent residency, discrimination law applicable to foreign nationals during the hiring process, and how to avoid sanctions for I-9 violations. UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITES OF BUSINESS IMMIGRATION LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. RECOGNIZE AN ISSUE BEFORE IT BECOMES A PROBLEM Specially designed for small and medium-sized companies, human resource managers and others working with hiring and retaining foreign employees.
INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS
(305)498-3109 (305) 715-7157
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first quarter 2011
OUR PANELISTS Deirdre Nero
Attorney at Law NERO IMMIGRATION LAW, P.L.
Deborah A. Antoni Attorney at Law LAW OFFICE OF DEBORAH A. ANTONI, P.A..
Karlene Punancy
Attorney at Law, P.A. PUNANCY & COSENTINO, P.A.
Timothy J. Wildman
Attorney at Law GONZALEZ & WERMUTH, P.L.
Georgia Gillett, Esq.
Attorney at Law GILLETT LAW FIRM, P.A.
MODERATOR Michael J. Liberatore, P.A. Attorney at Law
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The Official Publication of Latin Business Club of America
The Official Publication of Latin Business Club of America
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Editor
EDITOR Puig Monica Monica Puig editor@latinbiz.net
latinbiz latinbiz
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editor@latinbiz.net PublishEr
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The Official Publication of Latin Business Club of America
MAGAZINEClub DESIGN Latin Business of America BusinessRise publisher@latinbiz.net
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info@businessrise.net www.businessrise.net MagazinE dEsign
Cris Ascunce, CAT Graphix, Inc. info@catgraphix.net PUBLISHER
The Official Publication of Latin Business Club of America
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Latin Business Club of America Contributing WritErs info@latinbiz.net
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Gavin Berkey, Daniel Burrus, Luz Canino-Baker, CONTRIBUTINGJennifer WRITERS DelCamp, Voss Graham, Mika Dave Anderson, SarahHamilton, Barnes, Robert Heber, A. Herman, Tim Connor, GregPaul Correll, E/The Mark Holmes, DavidMark Leonhardt, Environmental Magazine, Holmes, Aurelio Sandate,Kae Joan Mark Lazarou, John Mitsakos, Tamara Vaughm, Amy Wells Wendleton, Michael Yacoub
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staff STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS PhotograPhErs Joshua Stier
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latinbiz is the• official quarterly 305-573-1369 sales@latinbiz.net publication of Latin Business Club of
latinbiz is the official quarterly publication of America, a networking organization Latin Business Club of America, a networking organization dedicated to promote dedicated to promote businessesbusinesses within within the Latin community, unite Latinos in the Latin community, unite Latinos in our our business efforts, and foster understanding business efforts, andand foster understanding between Latinos other Americans.
between Latinos and Americans. Printed in other the U.S.
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inside. inside.. .. .
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Plan for survival: treat the causes, not the symptoms Tony Fuentes AnaCatalayud. Remos: BringsJulio her high power Circulo to Television 7 Tips for Building a successful e-commerce Become a sales superstar: 10 skills to Master website Rodrigo Huete. Liza Santana The seven Failures of Business Growth J. Doral MayorClub wants to bring his Seven experience to Miami-Dade county Latin Business of America Turns Frank Monteavaro Quality, Comfort and Style In Outdoor Furniture Latin Business Club of America celebrated 10 years Empower Yourself Through Any Setback Map a Zone HACE Launches A Latino Career Forum in Miami What is Social Entrepreneurship?
in every issue. . .
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every issue. .. Message from the Editor Media Survivor Message from the Editor Security Media Survivor Finance BizSecurity Ethics Finance Real Estate Real Estate Small Biz small Biz: small Business Prosperity in a down economy Sales Auto Talk/Coffee Break Travel Travel Earth Talk Biz Announcements/Earth Talk Technology BizTechnology/Law Community Networking latinbiz Networking Events
messagefromtheeditor
Wednesdays 11:30am • WZAB 880 AM The Biz I do not believe that anyone can truly be successful without understanding the value of sharing with others. In founding the Latin Business Club of America (LBCA), I always aimed to be more than just a trusted networking organization. I wanted to form a corporate family of individuals who come together to support each other in our businesses, to make a difference in our community and to genuinely care about each other. It fills me with joy to see that the sharing spirit of LBCA has shone through during these last ten years. It is you, our members, and this positive energy we create every time we come together that has made worthwhile my unwavering commitment to serve our Latin community no matter the challenges. An organization is only as strong as its members and Latin Business Club of America exists because of the support of ALL our members. Our members include: large and medium size corporations that generously support our service to the community through sponsorships; small business owners who support our efforts, while ex-
hibiting their products or services at our networking events; media and strategic partners ; experts who share tips during Biz Talk radio show and through articles in latinbiz magazine; members who might not come to our events, but enjoy receiving our emails; members who provide us their valuable opinions in our surveys; members who faithfully attend our networking events and learn about our sponsors and exhibitors; members who recommend us to others; and members who email me to let me know how we can improve. Every single one of our members plays an important role in our corporate family. THANK YOU each and everyone of you for your support these last ten years. During the last decade, our organization has grown to include: latinbiz e-newsletter, latinbiz magazine, Biz Talk radio show, workshops, latinbiz Women of Virtue and Alba awards; however, our networking events are still the ones I look forward to the most. I see our latinbiz networking events as monthly family reunions (luckily without the drama), where we come together to ex-
hale and learn about each other’s businesses and how our businesses can interact for mutual prosperity. These days when most meetings are being conducted via video chat, emails substitute Thank You notes, and social networks are becoming the norm for keeping up with our personal and business relationships, it fills me with gratitude to see busy professionals share two hours of their lives every month to interact with other professionals. I think it is so important to have that personal interaction, to let us know that we are not alone and that we all share similar challenges, needs, and desires for our businesses. THANK YOU because without your support, we would not be publishing this tenth year anniversary issue. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. In unity, Monica Puig President and Founder Latin Business Club of America
SPECIAL NOTE: Being able to adapt and effectively respond in the era of technology is a necessary skill. latinbiz magazine too must adapt with these changes. Our magazine will now be strictly on line. For our advertisers, this is an extremely positive change; as we are now able to provide you with even more affordable rates, as well as allowing you to better measure your results. For our readers, as we grow this new online format, it will mean more of an interactive experience, as we will be adding features such as videos, comments, and our advertisers will be just a click away.
(Left) Congratulations to Felipe Madrigal who we awarded the first ever El Shovel Dorado recognizing Doral and Airport West Chamber of Commerce as our Partner Chamber of the Decade. (Right) Congratulations to Michael Mathews, President of the Caribbean Trade Center who won our $10,000 sponsorship package at our 10th anniversary networking event.
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Plan for Survival
Treat the
Causes
NOT the
Symptoms By Michael Yacoub
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Entrepreneurs are a funny bunch. They always seem to enjoy operating "on the edge." Their motto seems to be, "in this day and age, if you are not living on the edge you are taking too much space." Point taken, however, this doesn't mean that we can forever adopt the "seat of the pants" management approach and ignore the financial expert's continual advice to plan, plan, plan and instead wait, wait, wait, until it's too late!
I
n neglecting the practice of preventive maintenance, some entrepreneurs wait for the symptoms of problems to appear and then respond. They would usually wait until they were very sick to go to doctor operating on the theory that "if it ain’t broke don't fix it!" In the business world, of course, we romantically call this approach the entrepreneurial spirit, the go-for-broke, gut-feel. Now, don't get me wrong; I strongly believe in these attitudes. But they need to be put within a structure; a framework which capitalizes on strengths and shores up the weaknesses of the business by treating the root causes not the symptoms. One of the major causes of business failures is the lack of proper financial planning most of the time results in a severe cash flow problem. However, attempting to fix the cash flow problem without analyzing and treating the underlying causes is a worthless exercise and a useless attempt to treat the symptoms and ignore the causes. So, what are the underlying causes of cash flow deficiencies? Aside from external factors that are outside the business control like political, economical, environmental, social, technological and competitors, the main causes of cash flow problems are internal factors. While businesses may not be able to control external factors, they can reduce the impact of these external factors with proper planning and preparation. Aside from the Global economic crisis and the tightening of the lending policies, the most significant external factors that had huge impact on businesses in Australia are the recent floods, hurricanes and fires that have devastated the land and caused many businesses to falter with huge number of enterprises falling like autumn leaves. Nevertheless, internal factors are totally within the control of the business and are the underlying cause to lack of cash flow predicament for entrepreneurs. Some of these causes include but not limited to the following:
1. Meager profitability. Mostly caused by lack of strategic planning, lack of clarity and focus, and lack of consistent and meaningful marketing strategies. 2. Over capitalization. Entrepreneurs are risk takers and thus may take investing or buying decisions without proper research. Buying new business premises or purchasing assets that do not produce reasonable returns can put the entire enterprise in a tight cash flow squeeze. 3. Lack of financial planning. Being not prepared for sudden business emergencies and unforeseen downturns in sales. 4. High level of borrowing. Using other people's money and over borrowing causing the business to default on payments of loans etc. 5. Unplanned and uncontrolled growth. One of the catalysts of business failures, unplanned growth can stretch the business resources and cause severe trauma to the whole operation. For example, if the business owner does not understand the relationship between average cost per unit or sale to the output then they might overtrade and cause a seizure to the business operation. The reverse can happen too, where the business is under trading. 6. Poor control of debtors, creditors and stock levels. They are called the silent killers of cash flow, these three factors are the epicenter of the business operation and any malfunction in one of them can cause severe ulcers in the whole body of the business. 7. Not setting aside the Tax Man's money. They say two things are definite in life" death and taxes" GST [Goods and Services Tax. U.S. sales tax], payroll tax, etc, including the employees' super payments, work cover are all payments that must be paid regardless. Again, some business owners take the liberty of withdrawing more cash out of the business than the business is generating, consequently taking the sustenance out of the operation. 8. The entrepreneur's financial illiteracy. If the entrepreneur lacks financial literacy and doesn't make business decisions based on sound and regular financial reports and analysis, then the whole operation will ineffective and will suffer a sudden death due to cash flow measures. 9. No internal controls. Lack of business systems, procedures, policies and check lists is the recipe for disaster, in particular when it comes to following up with overdue accounts, business expenses, KPI [key performance indicator ] reports, business goals etc, leading to a great misalignment between the business objectives and its mission. I always say "doctors bury their mistakes, entrepreneurs assert their entrepreneurial spirit." Having said that, [consider that] the early diagnosis by a good doctor can save human lives. Similarly, early diagnosis of cash flow causes can save your business and will also save you the trip to the hospital for ulcer treatment!
Attempting to fix the cash flow problem without analyzing and treating the underlying causes is a worthless exercise and a useless attempt to treat the symptoms and ignore the causes. No longer relying on the profit and loss statement is enough for entrepreneurs to navigate their businesses through the current traitorous business environment. Ensuring a healthy business with a lifeline of sound source of cash flow by timely strategic financial planning, reporting and decision making is paramount to the survival of today's entrepreneurs and their enterprises. This will definitely lead to early diagnosis of any cash flow problems and will result in treating the causes not the symptoms. Michael Yacoub is the CEO and Founder of Advantex International. Advantex International is located on the Gold Coast, Qld Australia and provides business coaching, strategic planning and business development services. If you are looking for Gold Coast business mentor, please visit www. advantexinternational.com.au. Reprinted with permission from: www.articlesbase.com
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bizfiles SPONSOR
STRATEGIC PARTNER
Tony Calatayud
JULIO FUENTES
General Manager, WZAB 880AM-TheBiz WHIM-AM & WKAT-AM National Director/ Salem Español www.880thebiz.com
President, Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce www. FSHCC.org
What advice, from your experience, would you like to offer other professionals? Expect challenges daily and embrace them. They usually are a precursor of something really Big and Great that’s about to happen. Perseverance in that moment gives you strength and confidence to move on. Once the storm passes, you have gained wisdom beyond what money can buy.
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What does The Biz 880 am offer businesses and entrepreneurs? A great platform to share to tens of thousands your message and vision as to business. It’s a powerful way to brand your name and business to all of South Florida. Why talk to one person when you can talk to thousands?
What are some of the toughest challenges that you’ve faced as a professional and how did you overcome them? 2008 and this incredible recession created a crisis but also opportunities. We decided to persevere and strategically change some of the methods and approaches we had long worked on. Thru some adjustments, we weathered the storm and had one of our most impressive years to date. That momentum has continued into 2011. What is the greatest advice that you’ve ever received? I will preface that question by sharing I am still working on the advice. Listen twice as much as you speak. It’s a work in progress, but I am getting a bit better day by day. 10
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Expect challenges daily and embrace them. They usually are a precursor of something really Big and Great that’s about to happen.
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How long have you been in radio and what made managing a station your career choice? One way or another I have been privileged to have been in radio either on air, management or owner for 16 years. I caught the fever early at about ten when I saw my father on the air doing a talk show. From that moment on, I knew Radio and TV would be a large part of my adult life.
How do you define success? Thanking God daily for His blessings; leading a family that is healthy in all aspects; heading a business with a great culture of working together and that has no ceiling or limits; being blessed to be a blessing to those in need; going to sleep peacefully knowing you are doing right by people. Describe The Biz radio station in three sentences. The Biz is… …the only place to gain knowledge on the radio dial on how to grow your fortune …a place where money is made….a home to those who want to empower themselves to higher heights.
Twelve years ago, Julio Fuentes realized that even with the strong growth of the Hispanic business community in Florida, there was no statewide economic development organization representing that community. He took action and in 2000 created the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (FSHCC). The FSHCC has since matured into one of the state’s most powerful organization of employers, chambers of commerce and associations, representing thousands of Latino grassroots members with millions of Florida based employees. What is the mission of the FSHCC? The Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is a statewide organization dedicated to the promotion of economic development and political empowerment of the Hispanic community. Our motto is “Together We Are Stronger!” and we operate by that principal. What does FSHCC offer businesses and entrepreneurs? First and foremost, we provide the Hispanic Business Community with a voice at our State capital in Tallahassee. More recently we are exciting about our Access Florida Capital program which is a $100 Million Dollars loan fund that we have put together with participating banks offered to our Hispanic Business Community. The Access Florida Capital program provides valuable detailed information and insight on participating banks expectations and guides each prospective borrower through a Comprehensive Pre-Qualification and Evaluation Process. What are the chambers goals for the upcoming years? The Chamber’s goals for the upcoming years is to continue the growth that we have enjoyed over the past decade but only made possible with partnerships such as the Latin Business Club of America.
What are some of the toughest challenges that you’ve faced as a professional and how did you overcome them? Early on the establishment of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber the toughest challenge was being recognized as the leading Hispanic voice in Tallahassee, but we overcame that by being in constant communication with our State legislators and as result we have been able to pass legislation critical to the success and growth of our Hispanic Business Community.
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Never give up.
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Those who have met Tony would best describe him as a dedicated professional, one who is positively driven. He is a true visionary, foreseeing things before they happen. Tony Calatayud is loyal and honest; traits that create lifetime friendships and mutually prosperous partnerships. Tony dreams big and meticulously follows up to create a reality out of those dreams.
What is the greatest advice that you’ve ever received? The greatest advice that I have ever received is “never forget your roots” and “stay humble”. What advice, from your experience, would you like to offer other professionals? I would like to offer is to never give up, just when you think it is over, change your perspective and know that you are that much closer. How do you define success? We define success by being true to our core values of ethics, character, humbleness, respecting our peers and as such gaining their respect.
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tips for building a
successful e-commerce website
Let’s face it; we all shop. No matter who we are, we all have to shop, be it for everyday necessities, such as food or clothing, or the much desired luxury items and services. Shopping is even a pastime for some who find it relaxing and therapeutic. Surpassing 2 billion users in 2010, the internet has revolutionized the world of shopping and has created 24-7 sales opportunity for retailers who have an excellent e-commerce website— allowing them to generate revenue, while promoting their businesses worldwide. The bad news is that if you don’t have a good e-commerce website by which to sell your products or services, then you have already fallen behind the times and are way behind your competition. The good news is that there are 7 simple steps you can employ to transform your website into a good e-commerce website.
Below are seven steps you can follow to bring your website up to date to help you get more clients and purchases and stay ahead of your competition:
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Call to Action. The main goal in an e-commerce site is for the visitor to buy your product or service. The best way to accomplish this is to have the “Add to Cart” button obvious in every product. It should be above the fold and not difficult to click. Provide a GPS. Imagine yourself shopping in a huge mall. You are amazed by the colors, the vast collection of products, the lights but… No store signs!!! You see a perfect product and you say “I love it and will come back for it later.” You leave with this thought in mind; but since there are no signs, you do not know how to return to that store. It is exactly the same with your online store. Whenever a visitor is navigating inside your e-commerce site, it is critical they know where they are at all times. A very
By Joan Lazarou and John Mitsakos info@businessrise.net / www.businessrise.net
helpful way to achieve this is through the use of internet breadcrumbs (e.g., Home > Women> Shoes> Leather > High Heels).
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Too many photos? Not such thing. Since the client doesn’t have the opportunity to see the product live before the purchase, a nice slide show presentation, or a video of the product is very helpful. A clear visual presentation from different angles of the product will instill greater confidence in the potential buyer to purchase the product.
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Provide ample information. We all have our own unique and different way of consuming information. The same happens in our shopping preferences and experiences. Some people like to see reviews and ratings, preferring a more social approach; others, opt for comparing technical specs or make their purchases based on a product’s description. Provide your visitors with technical information, testimonials on the product and an official description; but, do not overwhelm them by presenting all the information at once, as you might bore them and cause them to flee your page. The best way is to present information progressively by creating three tabs under the product titled with those exact headings written in italics above and making that information available with a click of the mouse.
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Deliver updated and accurate information. It is a great disappointment to realize that the desired shoes you see on display are not available. Give your visitors up to date information on their desired item such as: availability, the different delivery costs and options, and guarantee. Do not wait to share with them this information in the checkout section. Providing them information at an early stage, will deter your customers from abandoning their baskets further along the check-out process.
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Follow-up order with an email. Email confirmation providing your clients with purchase details and your customer service contact information, is the best way to reassure them of their purchases. It also gives you an additional opportunity to thank your customers for their purchases and even email them a discount code or coupon towards their next purchase (be sure to include an expiration date).
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Feedback. Whenever the purchase is done, ask always for feedback from the client. Ask them to evaluate their experience in your website, the ease and time spent finding the item they were looking for, the checkout process, etc. BusinessRise is a Web Development and Marketing Company that specializes in high quality web solutions, innovative printing graphic designs and customized programming. latinbiz
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bizfiles STRATEGIC PARTNER
MEMBER
RODRIGO HUETE
LIZA SANTANA
President, American Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce www.amnic-cc.org
President, Creativas Group Public Relations, Branding & Events
Displaying a great poise that emanates from true self confidence and breadth and depth of experience in his profession, flight test, Rodrigo Huete is a visionary and an optimist. “Nothing is impossible for me as I know that things are achievable if you persevere. I believe that there is no such thing as ‘luck’ per se, but it is a combination of preparation and opportunity; when those two things come together is what people call luck; you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy the ticket.”
After working in every aspect of media, Liza Santana decided to follow her desire in her own words “to do my own thing.” Liza has devoted the last 15 years of her career to enthusiastically and vibrantly promote and advance others in the media. Liza promotes an attitude of gratitude and positivity enticing these wonderful traits in others. “ I think I am really lucky to do what I love and get paid for it!” Liza believes that as giver she is able to share with others and has been fortunate to be part of many happy moments.
What is the mission of the Nicaraguan American Chamber of Commerce? To promote the initiation, development and expansion of businesses owned and operated by the American Nicaraguan community through state of the art benefits, professional services, targeted events, business opportunities and information exchange. To promote trade initiatives between Nicaragua and the United States of America by the American Nicaraguan business community.
Please describe what you do. I am the owner of a full-service public relations and branding firm known for PR campaigns and our events. After eight years in the market, we are fortunate to have an amazing portfolio of clients and affiliates and service mid-sized to national clients in both markets (general and Hispanic). I am also a contributing writer here in Miami. Love what I do.
Despite important protections for investment included in CAFTA-DR, the investment climate has steadily worsened since Daniel Ortega took office. President Ortega’s decision to support radical regimes such as Iran and Cuba, his harsh rhetoric against the United States and capitalism, and his use of government institutions to persecute political enemies and their businesses have had a negative effect on perceptions of country risk. What is your opinion on this foreign investment insecurity President Ortega has created and what is your chamber doing to change this negative perception? My opinion is best expressed in the following press release published in part in the Nicaraguan La Prensa newspaper: “The lack of respect for the democratic processes create a unfavorable climate and an obstacle for commerce and economic development, especially 12
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the mutual commerce between the United States and Nicaragua; in addition it hurts the proper development of the DR-CAFTA agreement.” Our chamber can only support the efforts by the local business organizations in Nicaragua that point out the negative impact these actions have in the economic development. We publish press releases to express our same concern. What are some of the opportunities and challenges to trade and invest in Nicaragua that U.S. firms may encounter? Nicaragua is rich in natural resources yet to be developed, as well as an ever increasing English-speaking and USeducated young population to support U.S. investments. [As far as challenges,] We need the proper legal resources and associations with Nicaraguan interests to protect foreign investments from being expropriated by the current Nicaraguan government, as could happen similar to what happens in Venezuela under Hugo Chavez. What are some of the toughest challenges that you faced as a professional and how did you overcome them? The toughest challenges were to persevere as a naturalized citizen in the U.S. competing among native born citizens. Perseverance and self confidence were important for me to succeed; nothing is impossible if you try and persevere.
What are some of the toughest challenges that you’ve faced as a professional and how did you overcome them? Economic change. When the economy dips or in the most recent case crashes, we feel it. Typically it’s the larger corporate and national client who knows the importance of maintaining the course as it relates to marketing and communications. Smaller-midsized clients tend to be more conservative and think that we are an extra line item on the budget. It’s a constant education we must provide.
What advice, from your experience, would you like to offer other professionals? Perseverance and self confidence are important to succeed; nothing is impossible if you try and persevere. I would also add that our chamber motto is: “Economic development through alliances and partnerships.” This is a
What is the greatest advice that you’ve ever received? The greatest advice I ever received was from my Mother who has always been an inspiration to me. She told me to be focused, and communicative but most of all to live and [work] with intention. She showed me that if you do, you will create positive and strong relationships. I think that is where my love of collaborating and networking was born. I think it’s helped me tremendously during the tenure of my career. What advice, from your experience, would you like to offer other professional women? I’d actually state something similar. Be strong. Be positive, confident, a good collaborator and be ETHICAL. It has always worked for me! How do you define success? Success is defined to me not by money, not by power but by the experience we draw from what we learn through our career path. Respecting yourself and others respecting you is an incredible reward.
global environment and it is becoming more important to form alliances and partnerships to succeed. I also use the saying: “no man is an island.” This is why is so important to belong to chambers of commerce, these organizations give you the opportunity to expand with their services.
bizfiles
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We need real and substantive change to our County government. - J.C. Bermudez
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Photo courtesy of: www.doralfamilyjournal.net
Doral mayor wants to bring his experience to Miami-Dade county Doral Mayor J.C. Bermudez recently announced that he is running to be Miami-Dade county mayor. Latinbiz sat with the Mayor to learn more about his plans and vision. Why do you want to be Mayor of Miami-Dade County? It is not an issue that "I want to be Mayor of MiamiDade County", I am running for the position because I believe I can make a difference for my community and do a good job as Mayor of Miami-Dade County. I have lived here since I was five years old and believe that many of the ideas that have made the City of Doral a success can be taken to County government to make Miami Dade County the best place to live in our state. What will be your top three priorities as Mayor? • Creating new jobs by attracting new business to our County; • Ethics and Charter reform, specifically term limits for commissioners and paying them a reasonable salary so the inherent conflict of interest in having outside employment is eliminated; • install a program which is performance based for all employees and County initiatives with the goal of increased efficiency and transparency, including public access to government.
of living in our City for "all the right reasons" and we are the only City, through our "Doral Dashboard" program, that places all it awarded major contracts on the internet and lets our residents know who the contract was awarded to, the amount of the contract and measuring, on a monthly basis, if the contract is on schedule and on time. What is holding Miami-Dade county back from reaching its true potential? I think our County is held back in large part by the fact that there is a general malaise and lack of confidence in our government due to lack of transparency and ethics and faith in our elected leaders. There is a lack of a "partnership" between the public and private sector which is seen many times in large communities across the country and is critical for growth and for improvement in quality of life.
What do you feel is lacking in Miami-Dade’s local leadership? We need to incorporate the business community in the process. Our leaders need to regain the confidence of the citizenry and that can only be done with more openness and transparency. Our leadership also needs to be assertive and creative by setting public policy that will create new opportunities for small, medium and large businesses.
With no tax increases and over $40 million in reserves, you have done an outstanding job with the City of Doral's budget. How would you handle Miami-Dade County's budget differently than our current Mayor? First of all, I would look to see where we can consolidate departments and create efficiencies. Second of all, I would look to where adjacent municipalities can work with the County to provide services more efficiently and where the private sector could do the same. Additionally, depending on what happens in Tallahassee, we would need to look into a serious analysis of the long term costs of our pension systems.
What successes that you’ve accomplished as Mayor of Doral are you most proud of and is there anything you feel you could have done better? I am proud of helping create community, creating a government that is open, transparent and responsive to our residents and businesses and doing this while never raising taxes. People today are proud
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Miami-Dade County ended 2010 with a 13% unemployment rate. Hence, the question you’ll probably be most asked? What will you do about jobs? First of all, incorporate the business community into the equation. Government is not here to create
TOP LEFT: J.C. Bermudez, the Mayor of Doral, filing county mayor election papers on January 31, 2011. TOP RIGHT: Latin Business Club of America 10th anniversary at Taverna Opa in Dolphin Mall. Felipe Madrigal, President of Greater Doral & Airport West Chamber of Commerce; Mayor Bermudez presenting Monica Puig with a Proclamation making November 12, 2010 the official Latin Business Club of America Day in the City of Doral; Michael DiPietro, Vice Mayor City of Doral. BOTTOM: Event MC Dr. Susan Angulo; Curra Alba, Honoree, Alba Award; Mayor Bermudez; Monica Puig at Latinbiz Fourth Annual Women of Virtue awards.
jobs it is here to help create the conditions to help businesses create those jobs. This cannot be done until the public sector (government) and the private sector (businesses) create a true partnership. Can more be done at the local level to help individuals facing foreclosure? There is a limited amount that can be done at the local level to limit foreclosures. Many of these properties are "upside down" because individuals took a risk understanding that if it worked there was a great return. Any proposal to better the situation would have to include the private banking sector and the individuals. Do you have any goals to create a better pedestrian and mass transit infrastructure in MiamiDade county? The issue of transportation must be looked at from a short, mid and long term perspective. For too long we have looked for simplified answers for our traffic issues. Light rail, coordination between Municipal and County transportation programs and good long term planning would be a start. In Doral we have started the construction of our City wide bike path and began, despite not receiving our fair portion of the half penny sales tax, our trolley program. Any true transportation solution would require true coordination as transportation is a regional issue. What is the number one message you wish to convey to Miami-Dade County’s residents? We live in the most beautiful place in the world, we have one of the most diverse communities in the world with so many different cultures and we have great natural resources. Miami Dade County can and should be the greatest community in the US. Together, not just through government, but through a collective effort of all we can be the premier place to live, work, play and learn in the United States.
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bizfiles
MEMBER
Frank Monteavaro Visual Artist www.frankmonteavaro.com
Born in Cuba in 1959, as a child Frank watched and old man doing a portrait on oil paint and it made a great impression on him. In 1973, Frank immigrated to Miami, Florida with his immediate family. Fourteen years later, he began drawing a few sketches, not knowing yet that he had a creative gift. His first public show came in 1996, and ever since, he has exhibited work in numerous galleries all over Miami. His greatest influence came when in 2001 , he traveled to Caracas - Venezuela and met an Artist called Miguel VonDangel. VonDangel took Frank under his wing for a few months and taught, shared and explained about how the gift of creating is a calling and a vocation for life. This awareness led Frank to create his own trademark style which moves from abstract to primitive and modern contemporary all mixed together to create something beautiful and unique. His works are on canvas, wood, paper as well as a mix media, private collectors in South and Central America, and throughout Europe and the United states, have recognized Frank’s talent and uniqueness in his creations. Through color and shapes, Frank reflects his personal journey’s experience, bringing to life his imagination coupled with his passion for creating. What artist has had the most influence in your career choice and style of painting? The artist who has helped me the most in my vocation was Miguel VonDangel. He taught me to take risks, to open the door so that I can create with my heart. He also taught me to be genuine as an 14
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This talent was given to me by the God and no matter how good I am, the credit belongs to Him. - Frank Monteavaro artist, so that my work would leave a print in the universe like no other. What are some of the toughest challenges that you’ve faced as a professional artist and how did you overcome them? To prove that I am and my work is good enough since I am a self-taught artist. Also we are judged by “we are as good as our last painting.” What is the greatest advice that you’ve ever received? To be genuine like no other and to follow my heart, not others. What advice, from your experience, would you like to offer other artists? To take risks and never stop believing in the work because as artists, we get better with age.
TOP LEFT: Le Femmes Libre TOP RIGHT: Frank 2 MIDDLE: Enmascarado BOTTOM: Frank Monteavaro
How do you define success? It has to do with how I feel inside about myself. [Success means] to be as loving as you can towards your surroundings and to be living your dreams, which I am, regardless of how tough life may seem for artists at times. I enjoy what I do which in terms is not always pleasant, yet the rules of creating are infinite; so, there’s no boundaries and hope is always present for I am making the universe a more beautiful place.
bizfiles
Fifth Annual Women of Virtue Awards - and -
Alba Award (Must be 50+)
Thursday, September 22, 2011 12 noon - 1:30pm
Tickets on Sale June 22, 2011 • Sponsorships opportunities are now available More info: www.latinbiz.net/wov or 786.357.7998
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Latin Business Club of America celebrated ten years of bringing professionals together. The Mayor of Doral, J. C. Bermudez and over five hundred of South Florida’s professionals partook in the upbeat networking celebration held at Taverna Opa Dolphin Mall. To view all pictures, please visit the Events section at www.latinbiz.net. latinbiz
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bizfiles
L-R Ana Maria Reyes; Felipe Madrigal, President of Greater Doral & Airport West Chamber of Commerce, and Solange Reyes
By focusing on consumers’ needs, two women entrepreneurs bring merchants a fun and creative way to increase store traffic. The effects of a down economy are felt by both consumers and businesses. Consumer spending is minimized, leaving many businesses with a down curve in sales and in some extremes gearing them into a survival mode. As a result, creative marketing measures must be taken in order to maintain customers and attract new ones. The Producers of Miami, a Doral based family and minority women owned enterprise, have developed a winning solution to address this problem— MapAzone®. Two sisters, Ana Maria Reyes and Solange Reyes have created a caricature fun based map that is delivered directly to households via U.S. mail in selected zip code areas. The creative and colorful map of a city or a designated area, contains a series of discount coupons that appeal to the consumers to visit the merchants. MapAzone® offers affordable city-by-city massive direct mail campaigns using a well designed publication with collectible maps in the cover and redeemable coupons inside. For mere pennies, a company can reach its target customers. MapAzone® research identifies a huge increase in the use of “clip” coupons, up 269%. Most likely, as 18
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Making coupons available in printed form or downloaded from its website, this ingenious company combines the use of two powerful marketing tools: internet and print media. direct result of the current economic times, consumers have become increasingly more aware of the need to save. Merchants are taking advantage of this trend by revamping their advertising strategies. MapAzone® has certainly found its place in
these new economic times and marketing trends. Making coupons available in printed form or downloaded from its website, this ingenious company combines the use of two powerful marketing tools: internet and print media. MapAzone® has already created and produced the official map of Social Fridays, a project of the City of Doral designed to get residents acquainted with and visit local establishments. Patrons board the city’s Trolley offering a relaxing and FREE ride. On line, and ready to launch, is the “City of Doral” MapAzone® which will be mailed directly to homes. “MapAzone® is committed to helping business owners and entrepreneurs reach their goals, and helping consumers save time and money,” stated Solange Reyes. More info: www.mapazone.com
latinbiz
first quarter 2011
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mediasurvivor
REASONS Times Are Tough
to Cut Marketing Spending When By Mark Holmes President, Idea Depot, Inc. www.TheIdeaDepot.com
Marketing Departments nationwide have been ravaged over the last couple of years during the economic downturn. Every marketing manager knows the phone call too well. Revenue is down, cash flow is off, and we all have to cut back. Typically, “we all” starts with marketing, rips through marketing, and then moves on to everybody else at a more modest pace.
E
ven in small enterprises, the urge to cut the easy target is well, easy. Instead of treating marketing as the company’s lifeline, as the most vital part of the organization, many businesses treat it as the poor stepchild, whose pockets are easy to rob, whose presence is “nice to have” at best. Do the following rationalizations sound too familiar?
1 Nobody believes what advertisers say anyway; so why even bother? 2 You can’t prove that marketing dollars bring any business in the door. 3 People need our product and service and will find us regardless of any marketing we may do. 4
Everything costs too much – ads, PR people, events – what do we ever get in return?
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I have a small business. I’m so involved with day to day operations that I have no time for marketing.
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Nobody reads newspapers anymore and there are so many TV channels, you could never reach a large audience anyway.
8 I tried running some ads once and never got any results so obviously marketing doesn’t work. For every reader who feels justified by the article so far, print or copy the page and clip the part above. Proudly display it on your “I told you so” wall. For everyone else, read on. Of course, this article thus far has been tongue-in-cheek. But it’s grounded in reality, a reality well known by many marketing staff and managers and small business owners. For every marketing skeptic, I’d like to say, “You’ve got it all wrong.” The title of the article is missing a word. It should say, “Eight Reasons to Cut Poor Marketing Spending.” When marketing money is spent poorly, it deserves to be cut. But to cut back on all marketing because some of it is or has been ineffective is totally wrong. Let’s do the list again with a different pair of glasses.
8 Few consumers believe what they see or hear without independent validation. The key is independent validation – all advertising can do is pique interest. Most consumers will then validate before buying. Be so good that your advertising undersells you, not oversells you.
7 Everything can be measured. Production Dynamics proves this. Insist on measurement and you’ll be surprised. 6 20
There is so much competition for every facet of business; buyers tend latinbiz
first quarter 2011
“
“
5
Marketing people don’t really produce anything; they just come up with ridiculous ideas, spend our money and get in the way of a solid bottom line.
Effective marketing starts when you have great service or a great product.
to nest in what they already know. You have to bust up their reality to get noticed.
5
With the down economy, advertising is and has been on sale. You know the axiom “buy low” – well it’s a buyer’s market on advertising. Know your basics of targeting, frequency and reach.
4
Stop thinking of marketing as an expense and look at it as an investment. Go from there.
3
MAKE time. Talk to colleagues. Find a nimble, low-cost company to help. Do SOMETHING.
2
Know your audience, learn about them, and then advertise where they are. Think rifle, not shotgun.
1
You probably got talked into an inappropriate ad campaign that never had a chance of working. Get with someone who will understand your business and your needs and who will lay out a plan that makes sense to you. Insist on affordability and accountability and get back in the game. Effective marketing starts when you have great service or a great product. Then you can build the basics of public relations, community goodwill and advertising. If everyone is holding back because of a poor economy, better for you. You’ll be where they aren’t. Don’t spend on marketing; invest in it wisely with great service, good advice, a proper approach and an affordable budget.
security
Safeguard FRAUD When Buying ONLINE Yourself From
By Greg Correll
Most people are comfortable enough to shop online; but be wary, there is identity theft and fraud around any corner you turn. Here are five easy tips for your online payment and shopping that can keep your online shopping experience a happy one.
Five Tips For Online Payment
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Make sure you choose the best available account with your credit card company. A good credit card company that allows you to shop online will usually have encryption software to protect against identity theft, as well as auto log out once you've been inactive for a period of time online, usually about 10 minutes. If you have any questions regarding payment and security, always talk to the company's representative directly; better to be safe than sorry.
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If you have a standing instruction or recurring billing with a company's program, you'll most likely receive and invoice or email every month notifying you about the payment. Safeguard yourself by not signing in from the email link, and instead take the effort to go to the said company website and sign in from there. Also watch out for emails from your credit card company; if they have asked you to verify certain account, make sure you call your credit card company to confirm the validation. This way you
can keep yourself at arm's length from any bogus emails.
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When you do sign in with a username and password to a company’s website, make sure you always clear your cache and history on your own computer. Finish what you've set out to do as quickly as possible. This is especially important if you're using a dial up modem.
4
Whenever a transaction is successful, you'll always receive an email with the date stated, immediately or a couple of days later. Be sure that you've received it and do call your credit card company if you do not! Also, check your online account to make sure said payment was sent or posted.
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This is one of the most important tips you can use when shopping online, change your password monthly. This way thieves will have a hard time keeping up. Sometimes your credit provider will offer you a security check, which you'll have to answer every time you attempt to log on.
Change you password monthly. Check with your credit companies to see if they offer such services. The worst part about online payment is fraud and theft; therefore any precaution and safety steps you take to protect yourself can make a tremendous difference in buying online. It is worth it to have some of the best security software, and changing passwords works. Only thing worse than not getting secured is not doing anything about it! Always take the extra preventive measure against theft and keep your hard earned money doing things you like instead! Greg Correl is currently working on his website: www.definitivetechnologyspeakersreview.com. Learn more as why he has chosen Definitive Technology Speakers over the rest in the marketplace. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Correll
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finance
Will New Tax Tables Really Increase Family Income? With the new withholding tax tables announced by the IRS recently, many American families will have more money in their paychecks every week, but those dollars could disappear fast if they hold on to their old attitudes about money.
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hat’s the warning money coach and former tax professional Jane Honeck, CPA gave us on Biz Talk radio show (airing live Wednesdays at 11:30 am on South Florida’s 880 am). Honeck is the author of The Problem With Money? It’s Not About the Money!. Her experience is that extra cash tends to disappear fast, because most people don’t manage their money -- they let their money manage them. “According to the Census Bureau, the median family income in the U.S. is a little over $78,000 annually,” said Honeck. “Now, that means the 2 percent downward adjustment will put an additional $60 in the median 2-week paycheck, or $1,560 per year, which will be gone in a heartbeat in most cases. If people really want to make a difference in their lives this year, maybe this is a good stopping point to re-examine how we view money in our lives.” Honeck believes that people should forget everything they know about money and how we use it and start over from scratch. “When we first encounter money, there are no instructions that come with it,” she said. “We grow familiar and intimate with money and begin using it as soon as we start getting an allowance, and so we grow up thinking that we know how money works. However, when we encounter money problems in later life, try to strategize our investments, try to balance our monthly budgets or plan our retirement, 22
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the truth becomes clear: money is not so easily understood. Her solution is a three-step guide to rethinking our relationship with money. • Ask ourselves what we think money really is -Many of us can’t answer that question, because we never really thought much about money and its role in our lives. We simplify it as something we use to pay for the necessities of life, and once we use it, we have to make more. As important as money is in our lives, wouldn’t it follow logically that we really should have a deeper understanding of money as it relates to our lives? The first step is examining what we think it is, and then moving forward from there. • Talk about money -- Like sex, we never learned to talk about more than the mechanics of money. Consequently, we picked up messages, interpreted them ourselves and turned them into beliefs that run our financial lives. Talking more
about money, and not less, not only enhances our understanding of it, but makes us more capable of controlling it instead of allowing it to control us. It’s a fact that conflicts over money are the number one cause of divorce, and this phenomenon is driven by dysfunctional communication about money. We need to learn to communicate more freely about money in order to take control. • Create a new money philosophy -- Money is not concrete or mechanical – it is a fluid force in our lives. Once we understand its role in our lives and how we view it, and we are able to talk about it, we can then begin to change it. Once we are able to see money as the slave and not the master, and work to realign our perspective on money and how our lives interact with it, we can begin setting and living by reasonable rules that put us in charge. Honeck concluded “My advice isn’t to simply try to use the extra few dollars wisely, but rather, to look at the big picture, so all your dollars can make a difference in your life.” Jane Honeck, CPA, is a money coach who specializes in tax and financial planning for professionals, small businesses and individuals. She is also a Certified Empowerment Trainer and has developed Cent$ible Living financial workshops and money coaching sessions to help her clients make meaningful and lasting change in their financial lives. http://www.theproblemwithmoney. com or www.janehoneck.com.
When we encounter money problems in later life, try to strategize our investments, try to balance our monthly budgets or plan our retirement, the truth becomes clear: money is not so easily understood.
bizethics
The Character-Driven Company:
Five Simple Rules to Help Yours Become One in 2011
By Dave Anderson www.learntolead.com
This year instead of focusing solely on financial matters, why not take a good hard look at the character of your company? There are five simple rules that every employee, from the top of the corporate ladder on down should follow to ensure that they have a rock-solid character this year: Don’t Tell White Lies. We’re all guilty of telling a white lie or two. In fact, most of us do it on a daily basis and hardly even notice anymore! And while we may consider those little untruths to be harmless, consider that instructing your receptionist to tell a caller that you’re out of the office when you really aren’t is a reflection on your own character. White lies are still lies, after all. Keep Your Commitments. Have you ever made a business promise that you didn’t keep? Perhaps you didn’t follow through with a promised promotion, or skipped out early on a day when you promised to work late. And given the past year’s turbulent economy, it’s even more likely that you found yourself in a situation where your mouth wrote checks in the good times that your bank account can no longer cash. Cutting expenses is necessary and understandable; breaking promises is not— even if it turns out to be more costly, inconvenient, or time-consuming than you estimated. Go the Second Mile. One of the most common character flaws in leaders and their employees is that they do just enough to get by; they come to work and do just enough to get paid and just enough not to get fired. That’s not good enough. Think about it this way: if the majority of people are doing only the minimum, then those who give just a little bit more of themselves will stand out and be highly valued—a great asset for any company or individual to have. So think about what you can do to go the extra mile each day. It may mean volunteering to take on an extra project, coming in on a Saturday once in a while, or taking a night class to improve your skill set. Whatever that extra mile may be, the benefits will be well worth your sacrifice.
to business, false impressions are everywhere. From misleading advertising campaigns to padded resumes, you won’t be hard pressed to find examples of people trying to make others believe things are better than they really are. You have to be upfront and honest with those you work with, or you may lose your credibility and build up bitterness and resentment in a once-valuable business relationship. Think about the ways that you or your company may be misleading others, and find ways to stop it.
Reconcile and Forgive Immediately. Holding grudges is a common and unfortunate consequence of competitive business. Resentment builds up when employees leave organizations, mistakes are made, or when coworkers feel slighted. Take an inventory of grudges you may be nursing, people you’re resenting, and those with whom you must reconcile. It doesn’t matter how far back the offense was. If you’re carrying it around, it’s affecting your performance, whether you realize it or not. Suggest to your employees that they think about any hard feelings they may be harboring from the past year, and encourage them to make amends. Give this exercise a try with your employees. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. But if you can’t bring yourself to discuss these matters openly, just living them sends a persuasive message. Dave Anderson is president of Dave
If the majority of people are doing only the minimum, then those who give just a little bit more of themselves will stand out and be highly valued. Anderson’s Learn to Lead and has given over 1,000 leadership presentations in thirteen countries. He is the author of If You Don’t Make Waves, You’ll Drown; Up Your Business!; How to Deal with Difficult Customers; and the TKO business series, all from Wiley. He and his wife, Rhonda, are cofounders of The Matthew 25.35 Foundation, which helps feed, educate, and house destitute people throughout the world.
Don’t Give False Impressions. When it comes latinbiz
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realestate
With a wonderfully warm climate, a magnificent outdoor lifestyle, strong multicultural vibrations and a prominent Latin flair, Miami is not just a bountiful display of beauty to those who visit it, but also a way of life for those who proudly call it home. What better way to appreciate the extravagant beauty of Miami than to indulge oneself in pure luxury by being a resident of one of the city’s most desirable addresses: SkyPalace at Mary Brickell Village.
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kyPalace at Mary Brickell Village, is a 369unit, 35-story luxury condominium tower that will rise directly above Mary Brickell Village, an open-air upscale restaurant and retail development that has become the epicenter of social life in Miami’s cultural, financial, and commercial prestigious Brickell area. As a result, Mary Brickell Village is now the congregation point for social life in that area. SkyPalace at Mary Brickell Village is the residential component of Mary Brickell Village. The residences will enjoy panoramic views of the downtown Miami, Biscayne Bay, Coral Gables, and an award winning pool and recreation deck. As a result of its location in Mary Brickell Village and its amenities, SkyPalace is able to offer its residents a lifestyle choice in the form of a condominium. SkyPalace owners can work, relax, shop and dine without ever leaving Mary Brickell Village. Brought to us by one of the most successful developers in the country, Evangeline Gouletas, SkyPalace at Mary Brickell Village reflects the highest level of unprecedented value represented in the “Evangeline Signature Luxury 24
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SkyPalace is able to offer its residents a lifestyle choice in the form of a condominium. Condominium Collection,” an exclusive distinction which is awarded only to Evangeline’s residential developments that offer the ultimate in luxury and convenience and meet some of the most stringent criteria, such as: Priority Location, Appreciative Value, Internationally Recognized Architecture, Limited Edition Residences, White Glove Resident Services, Executive Property Management, Museum Quality Art, Extensive Luxury Amenities, Next Generation Technology and Advanced Security. More info: www.skypalacemiami.com
TOP LEFT: Artist’s conceptual rendering. TOP RIGHT: J.C. Latinbiz members networking at Skyline Equities Realty’s office. BOTTOM: Evangeline Gouletas, Chairman & CEO of Skyline Equities Realty and Developer of SkyPalace at Mary Brickell Village.
smallbiz
Are You Sharing the
Over the years, I have observed two distinct attitudes in regards to “sharing the wealth” with employees. One attitude is that employees are paid to work, and when they do, they get to keep their job and get a check every week.
T
he other attitude is that employees are valuable assets to the organization and contribute to its health, success, reputation, profitability and performance. The managers who believe this tend to share the rewards with their employees. There are different compensation systems and ways to reward employees: • Everyone can share in a bonus system - regardless of performance or contribution. • Only certain people (owners, management, certain peak performers, family members etc.) get to see any of this cash. • People receive bonuses based on their contribution to profitability or sales. • Everything left over goes to the owner or shareholders. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these philosophies. I don’t intend to pick each apart. If you would like to discuss the advantages or disadvantages of any of them, please give me a call. I would like to discuss, however, the major difference between two of them: • Keeping the wealth among a select few • Sharing the wealth with employees I can best explain my point here with a ‘real life’ example from one of my previous clients years ago. The two owners loved to keep everything for themselves. Not only that, they would flaunt their purchases in front of their employees. They would park their new Mercedes by the door so everyone could see. They would talk incessantly about their latest toy etc. etc. They would brag about how much money they made and what they could buy. Now, I want you to understand I am not against an owner or executive earning lots of money and buying whatever He or she wants; however, these two young owners had their priorities all wrong. The
Wealth? By Tim Connor
copy machine was old and in need of service. The receptionist was using a worn out old Selectric typewriter (that’s for those of you over 45) instead of a new computer. Get my point? If you keep it for yourself – fine; but don’t act surprised to how your employees respond when they haven’t had a raise in three years or are required to use wornout equipment or cheap supplies. Your employees are the ones that ultimately determine your income, wealth and lifestyle. Ignore them to your peril. What is your attitude when it comes to sharing the wealth?
Your employees are the ones that ultimately determine your income, wealth and lifestyle. Ignore them to your peril.
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 4000 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 70 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, SOLD, 81 Challenges Managers Face and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his websites at http://www.timconnor.com or http://soldbook.com. Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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sales
Obtaining Business Appointments Through Lead Generation
By Sarah Barnes
Business appointments are considered the most important part of striking a deal. Meeting with a prospect allows you to be able to fully explain what you have to offer and what it can do for them. This way, you both come to an understanding and discuss your terms of service. Once that’s completed, you are in business! But getting those business appointments is still hard word. You can’t just go walking into a prospect’s office and hope that he would be willing to talk to you. Besides, even if he isn’t busy, who’s to say that he’s even interested in your offer? That’s why getting appointments matter. It gives you an idea on the willingness of a decision-maker to do business with you.
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ost businesses are now finding new ways to make contact with potential prospects, one of the most common ways being telemarketing. Some businesses outsource their telemarketing while some others do it in-house. Both, however, are equally the same in their capabilities to help a respective business advance. But the greatest factor that can affect the success of a telemarketing campaign is leads. Or better yet, B2B sales leads. These leads are, as the name implies, targeted towards other businesses, allowing you to make contact with them. The job then falls to your telemarketers to close the deal for you. But hard-selling isn’t really something your telemarketers should be doing; they should be setting you appointments instead. Through appointment setting, you can save yourself valuable time
Investing in something good (or better) may result to you making a fortune. Sure, you lose something now but in the future, you could gain more than what you originally paid for.
since it eliminates the need to randomly visit different companies. And through this process, your telemarketers have already pre-qualified your prospects. This means that before they set an appointment with a prospect, they make sure that they fall under your specified qualifications. This way, you spend more time working towards the success of your company rather than being less productive with random office visits. Acquiring leads, however, is another story. Although telemarketing companies offer this as a service to their clients, it would still be best to buy leads. Lead generation companies pride themselves with providing their clients with fresh leads, leads that have just recently entered the market and are looking to do business. And by buying these leads from them, you are almost certainly assured a sale. Besides, hiring in-house staff just to generate leads for you is more costly than buying them. Pay per lead, for example, is a good way to acquire fresh leads while still saving yourself some money. But still, don’t be cheap. The lower the price you buy leads at, the lower your chances of making sales with them gets. In fact, some cheaply bought leads are sometimes scams, those contacts don’t exist. And that would be a waste of good money. Bad comments aside, using leads to help you increase your market is still a good way to go. And with some good salespeople working for you, or a good telemarketing company, they can easily turn those leads into business appointments. And the more appointments they get you, the higher the chances of making that sale. To gain something, you have to lose something. It’s equal exchange. However, in business, it doesn’t always apply. Investing in something good (or better) may result to you making a fortune. Sure, you lose something now but in the future, you could gain more than what you originally paid for. Sarah Barnes is a telemarketing expert with 11 years experience as a sales leads analyst for small and medium companies. Sarah invites you to visit http://www.121directmarketing.com/ for more information on pre-qualified sales leads and appointments. Reprinted with permission from: www.articlesbase.com [Editors note: Networking is the surest way to build relationships and also an excellent lead generation resource. The key to remember about attending networking events is that you are not on a sales call. You are there to make initial contact, build and maintain relationships, and yes, generate leads. More information about Latinbiz networking event: www.latinbiz.net]
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travel
Editor’s Pick:
Dublin Ireland View of Howth Castle from hiking trail.
By Monica Puig
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found the easiest and most fun way to visit Dublin is on a self-guided tour by foot. The unique feel of each building alone will have you on a constant stop and go. Sculptures, including works by Henry Moore, are generously spread out throughout the city. You can also opt to rent a bike or ride a double-decker bus around town. Below is a list of my favorite sites that I visited with a brief description of each: Trinity College was my first stop. Standing in the center of the courtyard and being surrounded by this superb display of architecture, left me in a humble state of awe. Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth, the magnificent buildings alone are worth making a stop to Ireland’s oldest university. For €€9, you can enter the University’s library and see the world famous Book of Kells. Walking along the path surrounded by bright green lawns, makes one forget that the college is actually located in the center of the city. Dublin Castle is truly enchanting. Built between 1208 and 1220, this castle was the center of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries until 1922 when it was taken over by the Irish Free State. The 13th-century record tower, the largest visible fragment of the original Norman castle and the State Apartments where the English viceroys once lived are just some of the great places within this splendid castle. The inauguration of Ireland’s presidents and other governmental ceremonial functions take place at the castle. If you, like me, have a passion for history, taking a guided tour through this impressive castle is a must. From the chandeliers to the rugs, each gift bestowed upon this castle tells of the relationship between Ireland and the country that came bearing such extravagant gifts. There’s an on-site small coffee shop and gift store that is also worth the stop.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a truly remarkable place to visit. Built in 1220 in honor of Ireland’s most generally recognized patron saint, this beautiful Gothic church located in the heart of Dublin is impressive to admire from the inside or the outside. I recommend you do both. Grafton Street is a fun place to walk around; however, you must love to be around people, since this is probably the busiest street in Dublin. It is filled with street entertainers, vendors and a variety of shops, including Dublin’s most famous store Brown Thomas owned by the Billionaire Galen Weston. There are plenty of places to eat around or simply sit down and relax with a cup of coffee and watch the crowd. When you are ready for some quite time, step through the Fusiliers arch, built in honor of the Irish who died in the Boer War. You will transport yourself from a noisy street to a peaceful park: St. Stephen’s Green. St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin’s second largest park (largest park is The Phoenix), is truly a special place filled with ducks and an array of other feathered animals. The park was enclosed with a wall back in 1664 and is probably today one of the largest enclosed parks in Europe. St. Stephen’s Green is filled with beautiful statues and monuments, a center fountain, and perfectly situated benches. There is also an area for the blind dressed with scented flowers and plants that have been labeled in Braille. Howth is a popular port in the northern part of Dublin. Here you will find a variety of fresh seafood in casual eateries and fine restaurants, as well as great views of Dublin Bay, the Wicklow Mountains and Boyne Valley. It is nearly impossible to give you a fair a picturesque description of the beautiful hiking trails in the Howth area.
LEFT: Trinity College. MIDDLE: Grafton street. RIGHT: Original ladies’ waiting area at Dublin Castle
The whole journey, up Howth’s Head, felt mystical, as if I was walking through and enchanted forest filled with vibrantly colorful greenery, flowers and trees, almost as expecting a leprechaun to appear. I encountered a Celtic burial site and once I reached the top, a breathtaking view that included an amazing view of Howth Castle by the sea. If you love hiking, this half day trip is a must. There are many other places worth seeing in Dublin and the rest of Ireland that I didn’t have the opportunity to see, giving me a great excuse to visit this beautiful place again. As wonderful as Dublin is, what made it even more special was the friendliness and warmth of the Irish. Ireland is definitely at the top of my list of favorite places. Sorry, but the popular Guinness Storehouse didn’t make that list. I found it to be more of an expensive tourist trap than anything else. If you are in the mood for Latin music while you are there, a local Latin band to follow in Dublin is Salsa Brava, an eight piece Latin-salsa-dance band formed by my friend Spanish singer Monica Vasquez. This band is active all over Ireland with regular concerts in the Gaiety (Dublin) and the Empire (Belfast). latinbiz
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By By the Editors of E The Environmental Magazine earthtalk@emagazine.com / www.emagazine.com/subscribe
E-ZPass, SunPass, and similar programs:
a boon to the environment.
E-ZPass and similar programs have been a boon to both participating drivers and the environment by reducing or eliminating idling and traffic back-ups at toll booths. Maybe that’s why 25 U.S. states either participate in E-ZPass or have their own similar systems (FasTrak in California, EXpressToll in Colorado, SunPass in Florida, etc.) to speed up highway travel and reduce pollution.
A
study conducted in 2000 to evaluate the New Jersey Turnpike Authority ‘s E-ZPass electronic toll collection system found that toll plaza delay had been reduced by about 85 percent overall for a total savings of more than two million vehicle-hours per year. Passenger car drivers saved a total of 1.8 million hours per year, while truckers saved almost 300,000 hours. The system’s “reduced queuing” decreased overall fuel consumption on the state’s turnpike system by some 1.2 million gallons per year and cut emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—a key component of smog—by 0.35 tons per day. Maryland’s Department of Transportation is about to take the concept a step further by installing express toll lanes along the a congested eight mile stretch of Interstate 95 north of Baltimore. Once the project is complete, drivers will be able to either zip through the express lanes to pay an electronically collected toll, or save their money and instead suffer through the congestion in the free, general-purpose lanes. The toll amount will vary depending on the time of day and traffic conditions and will be assessed automatically via existing E-ZPass transponders or by photo capture of drivers’ license plates. Unlike existing E-ZPass-type systems in the U.S., 28
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there will be no penalty or fine for entering the express toll lane without a transponder—a bill for the toll will just be mailed to the address on file with the car’s registration. The new cutting edge express toll lanes in Maryland should be operational by 2014. Why do we need tolls at all? Their original purpose was to raise funds for highway upkeep in a way that places the burden on the users of the
Given that the private automobile as our main mode of transportation is likely to be around for some time to come yet, it certainly behooves us to green up the experience as much as possible.
roads and not simply on local taxpayers who may not even take to the highway or may do so only minimally. After all, a large percentage of highway traffic is trucks and other vehicles “just passing through,” often for commercial purposes. And environmentalists saw tolls as a way to discourage individual automobile usage, even make it unpleasant enough to hasten the day that people would begin to embrace a serious commitment to public transit. In that sense, it could be argued that E-ZPass and similar systems, in making tolls more bearable, could undermine the realization of that dream. Given that the private automobile as our main mode of transportation is likely to be around for some time to come yet, it certainly behooves us to green up the experience as much as possible. With electric cars, plug-in hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles poised to come on strong in coming years, we certainly seem to be moving in that direction. But let’s not lose sight of the incredible benefits that public transportation could provide if we could just get our elected officials to pay it more than lip service.
Photo courtesy of Tennessee Wanderer/Flickr
earthtalk
technology
Job Search 2.0: Nine Lessons in Technological Etiquette for 21st Century Job Seekers The devices you, when and how you use them, and the content of your messages send subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, signals to a prospective employer that can improve or derail your chances of getting an interview and ultimately landing the job. Here are a few suggestions on proper new technology etiquette for job hunters. Make your first impression the old-fashioned way. In an age where e-mailing and texting seem to be the preferred methods of communication, it may come as a surprise that snail mail is actually the best way to get recognized by hiring managers. When you consider that all businesspeople get too much e-mail and spam these days, it makes perfect sense. E-mail is best for follow-up and networking. E-mail is generally viewed as acceptable for communication after a meeting. It’s fine for when you want to send a link to showcase your work or indicate a relevant article reflecting the content of your conversation. But important follow-ups should always be sent by snail mail as well, to assure that the formatting will be correct and the letter won’t get lost in cyberspace. E-mail is also ideal for contacting someone recommended by a member of your network. Put the person’s name in the subject line (e.g.,”Bob Smith Suggested That I Contact You”) to be sure you are not automatically deleted. When following up after a job interview: Think strategy! In the old days, the question for job hunters was, “Should I follow up by phone or letter?” Today, they likely ask, “Should I follow up by phone or e-mail?” Your routine should also involve thinking and strategizing about what form of follow-up will be best for the organization or person you will be contacting. To sell yourself to potential employers, don’t “cell” yourself. We all use cell phones so we all know the drawbacks. Sound quality and consistent transmission are iffy, and background noise is ubiquitous. Never use a cell phone for telephone interviews or other phone communication, even if it’s just a cursory screening interview. The interviewer could easily miss words, lose the tone of your voice, or not hear your emphasis on a critical question. And you may not be able to communicate energy or enthusiasm without shouting. Don’t call your interviewers on their cells, either. Never make an initial or introductory call to a hiring manager’s cell phone, even if you manage to get the number. In contrast to landlines, everyone still perceives their mobile phones to be as private as their home phones. It is the ultimate intrusion— the ultimate audio spam—to receive an unsolicited call from a job hunter on one’s cell phone. The same holds true for texting. It virtually guarantees a negative result.
By Kate Wendleton www.fiveoclockclub.com
No matter what form of communication you are using, in the professional world there will always be a right and a wrong way to use it.
For first-time communication, always avoid instant messaging, Internet directories, and social networks. Instant messaging is a permission-based concept. People invite others of their choosing to interrupt them with instant messages. Rarely are job candidates invited to use this technology by prospective employers. Seeking out and finding a hiring manager via IM is considered extremely rude and intrusive and should be off-limits to job seekers. The same holds true for social networking. “Network” through LinkedIn and other sites. LinkedIn.com provides you with a 21stcentury way to build up your professional network. Just as you should consider other passive techniques such as contacting search firms and answering ads, LinkedIn should be on your list of job searching strategies. Always use your best judgment. This may not seem like much advice at all. But the reality is there are just too many factors that go into creating a successful job hunt strategy for there to be the same hard and true advice for every candidate. There are always occasions where it’s okay, or even advisable, to break the rules. No matter what form of communication you are using, in the professional world there will always be a right and a wrong way to use it. Realizing that and carefully considering your options in any given situation is the best way to successfully navigate the crowded job market. latinbiz
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bizcommunity
Art Exhibit: Marcela Collazo at US Century Bank, Doral, FL BraveHeart Women Meet and Greet at New Port Beach Hotel, Sunny Isles, FL
Benefit Concert for Domestic Violence Victims Organization at Miami Elk Lodge 948, Miami, FL
Summit on Hate Crimes and Hate Speech at Miami Dade County Commission Chambers, Miami, FL
Happiness in the Park by Smile and Wave at Gulfstream, Hallandale, FL Gladys Mezrahi’s birthday lunch at The Chocolate Lounge, North Miami, FL Photography by Arelis Picto
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latinbiz networking events Norman’s 180, Coral Gables, FL Sky Palace, Miami, FL
MIA Biscayne, Miami, FL Sonesta Hotel, Coconut Grove, FL
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