BIZ. Magazine, January 2014

BIZ. Tools Podcast

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January 2014

It’s Not Just Advertising

4

Look Inside for Great Content on Marketing Your Business

Must-Read Marketing Books

KEEP CALM AND

KEEP ON

NG I T E K R A M

Spotlight

MONTH of the

Page 27

DELIVERED TO BUSINESS LEADERS THROUGHOUT SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER

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Biz. Magazine • January 2014

The First Word

It’s the Relationship

I

Markets may change, but there are some things in sales and marketing that never will recently had the opportunity to visit with a colleague from another industry. Our discussion was lively and informative. We talked about everything from the changing markets in our respective industries to the lack of branding some areas have. As the discussion went along, I made the statement, “There is just no substitute for relationship.” “You are absolutely right,” she said.

The statement, while not intended to be profound, opened up a discussion about how relationships are the key to success for any business, regardless of age, economic status or market.

Relationships can take many forms. With technology today, a relationship can begin via email or social networking. In fact, that relationship can be just as significant as any “face-to-face” one out there. The world has truly contracted to a smaller place.

That being said. There is still no better way to cultivate a relationship than “in person.” Looking someone in the eye and sharing your ideas has a dramatic impact.

In sales, it is the person with the best realationship who garners the business over the long term.

There is always a cheaper price somewhere, but not everyone has the best relationship.

When times (and budgets) get tight, it is the person with the best relationship that tends to keep the business.

Relationships help communities move forward, attract industries and survive setbacks. It is almost impossible to band together during tough times if you are the only one who is “banding.”

As business leaders, we should take advantage of opportunities to cultivate relationships with one another. Whether at a Chamber of Commerce event, non-profit advisory board, or lunch group, opportunities for relationships are plentiful.

The challenge is to recognize the opportunities and make them a priority for you and your business.

David Specht Jr. President of Specht Newspapers, Inc.

Take the challenge. You will be glad you did, and we all will benefit from it.

Read his blog about leadership at www.DavidASpecht.com He may be reached via email at dspecht@bossierpress.com.

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

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Contents 20

Planning Family Time

Convention & Tourist Bureau offering reunion planning workshop.

On the Cover

27

Many times, when someone says “marketing,” people think “advertising.” However, it takes more than just ads to be a marketing success. This issue of BIZ. offers a wealth of practical tools and interviews to help businesses succeed in their marketing.

8

The Power Tools Guy

Former radio group manager now helping others succeed with marketing, leadership, sales.

BIZ Tools

We share practical tools to help you and your business succeed.

Regulars

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BIZ. News Online

The BIZ. website at www.bizmagsb.com is Shreveport-Bossier’s home

business news, updated as it happens. In addition, users can sign / 8"

# 6 4 * / & 4 4 for up for a free BIZ. Daily Report to keep up with BIZ. news from the com.0 / 5 ) :

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Want to advertise? http://bizmagsb.com/2013-advertising-kit/ Volume 4, Number 9 | ©Copyright 2014 by Specht Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. BIZ. is published each month by Specht Newspapers, Inc. at 4250 Viking Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111. Telephone (318) 747-7900. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

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Biz. Magazine • January 2014

3

It’s the Relationship

5

Creating a Win-Win

6

Ready. Set. Sell.

11

It Is Time to Get Serious

13

Smile. You Are on Camera

24

Dave On Small Business

Markets may change, but there are some things in sales and marketing that never will

Marketing’s One-on-One look at ‘the most important product’

Motivating a sales team begins with self motivation.

Social Media must be a part of anyone’s marketing mix

Boost marketing messages with web video

Handling social media

Tools You Can Use When it comes to winning in Business, it helps to have the right “tools” for the job.

Win-Win Powertools

Creating a Win-Win

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Marketing’s One-on-One look at ‘the most important product’ ach month, BIZ publisher and creator, David Specht, recommends a topic to his columnists. This month’s is “Marketing 101”. David gives us some leeway, so I’m taking a singular look at Marketing 101 that I employed when I started Win-Win eleven years ago.

Let’s call it “Marketing One-on-One”.

I came from the world of Radio where the product (air time) can’t be seen, held or tasted. I discovered that my clients had to buy me first. My Radio career convinced me that “We are all in sales (and marketing) and selling all of the time. Our #1 product is us!” As I started Win-Win, I knew I was in the same situation. With little money, I began the job of marketing Jerry….not the Radio Jerry…but the WinWin Sales Coach and Speaker Jerry.

I started my marketing challenge by going to both the Shreveport and Bossier Chambers of Commerce and signed up. It was networking time. I told the chambers that I was ready to work because working was demonstrating Jerry and Win-Win. Potential clients could see how I worked and

the results I achieved.

I let all of my friends know what I was doing. I counted on their “Word of Mouth” marketing. I got a website and worked to make it WORK for Win-Win. I learned quickly that prospects don’t take you seriously unless you have a Website Marketing plan. I also found “Social Media Evangelist” Amy Kinnaird. Amy rocks!

I was fortunate to become a Rotary member. I went to all of the meetings and worked to “Win” the room by introducing Jerry. More networking! Rotary Clubs are always looking for speakers. I called all of the local clubs and offered to speak without a commercial.

Speaking became a major marketing tool and I was always ready to speak to any size group. I ate a lot of chicken. I changed the name to Win-Win Power(full) Tools and began to carry a hard-hat and power drill up to the podium. They remembered me.

I volunteered to write for the BIZ when it first came out.

Writing is not easy for this speaker, but I knew getting an article in the BIZ would be effective. I was correct. Frequently, people comment that they have seen articles by me.

I wrote news releases on Win-Win whenever I was asked to speak or be on a panel. I made a list of news contacts and emailed at every opportunity. A professional photo was included. I was surprised how many times it was used. PR became effective marketing for Jerry and Win-Win. So, Marketing 101 is Marketing One-on-One for me. Indeed, “We’re all in Sales and Marketing and we should be doing it all the time. Our product is us.”

Good Selling!

Jerry

Jerry Frentress Speaker & Coach, Win-Win Power(ful) Tools for Sales, Service and Employee Interviewing. Website: www.WinWinPowerTools.com.

Business Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WinWinPowerTools . 453-6080 / Bossier City

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

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Marketing B-S (Bossier-Shreveport)

Ready. Set. Sell.

H

New Year offers many new opportunities in marketing appy New Year! It's a new year! Time for a booster shot for your sales efforts and your marketing plan! At the beginning of 2013, I shared some marketing plan strategies that sales managers and marketers should have found helpful in developing their marketing plans for the new year.

Randy Brown

Advertising/Marketing Guru He is the Advertising Director for Bossier Newspaper Publishing Company, Inc., publishers of the Bossier Press-Tribune and BIZ. Magazine Randy may be reached at rbrown@bossierpress.com

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Biz. Magazine • January 2014

At mid-year, we did a check up to see how well things were going - asking questions such as: what has worked well, what has not worked so well and what has yet to be attempted? In other words, what goals did you achieve, what goals eluded you and what goals did you not even get to put into the action steps process? As 2014 begins, we will take a look at the same subject, but take a somewhat different approach.

True, before developing or tweaking your marketing plan for the new year, you must review where you are and assess both the progress you have made and the setbacks you have encountered from your last marketing plan. However, as you are doing the review, you should ask yourself: how well do we sell our products or services? Also ask, are we properly reaching the target audience for our products or services? As you are going through your marketing plan, keep these two questions in mind. Focus and build your marketing plans around this concept.

Advertising and getting your message out to your target audience should be an essential foundation for your marketing plan and as such,

will be the cornerstone in helping you to reach your target audience. Analyze what traditional or social media format will help you best reach your target audience. You can't get to where you want to be by doing things as you have always done them. That is not the world in which we live today. Thanks to technology and ever changing and expanding media formats, marketing strategies must constantly change.

In short, think of your marketing plan as a living, breathing and constantly evolving plan. The needs and demands of both your target audience and your company will exist in a state of constant change. This is a non-static environment.

Therefore, your marketing plan must constantly change and evolve, too. Focus on increasing and growing your sales in 2014. Also, focus and tune in to what your competition is doing and what seems to be working well for them. Finally, seek out the things that both you, your team and your company do really well.

For 2014, focus on these things! This will help you to increase your effectiveness on all levels and will also put you a step or two (or hopefully more) ahead of your competition!

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

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Biz Tools

Do Something The speed of business is ever increasing. The successful business leader stays on top of the tools and information to help his company grow.

Books Marketing for Small Business

Four Books You Should Be Reading

Jay Levinson

Al Ries and Jack Trout

Positioning

Selling with Noble Purpose Lisa Earle McLeod

Seth Godin

When Guerrilla Marketing was first published in 1983, Jay Levinson revolutionized marketing strategies for the small-business owner with his take-no-prisoners approach to finding clients. Based on hundreds of solid ideas that really work, Levinson’s philosophy has given birth to a new way of learning about market share and how to gain it.

Spencer Johnson, author of "Who Moved My Cheese?" and co-author of "The One Minute Manager". '...Ries and Trout taught me everything I know about branding, marketing, and product management. When I had the idea of creating a very large thematic community on the Web, I first thought of "Positioning"...' David Bohnett, Chairman and Founder of GeoCities.

The first book to deal with the problems of communicating to a skeptical, media-blitzed public, "Positioning" describes a revolutionary approach to creating a "position" in a prospective customer's mind - one that reflects a company's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors..

Drawing on two decades of consulting with leading sales organizations, sales leadership expert Lisa Earle McLeod reveals how a Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) can drive a team to outstanding sales numbers. Using hard data and compelling field stories, Selling with Purpose explains why salespeople who understand earnestly how they make a difference to customers outperform their more quota-driven counterparts. This book shows executives, managers, and aspiring sales leaders how to find your NSP and create a sales force of True Believers who drive revenue and do work that makes them proud.

A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It?s our nature.

Guerilla Marketing

App of the Month Before you roll your eyes, consider the number of high-profile leaders that use Twitter. In fact, each of the authors in the abovementioned books have a Twitter account.

We are recommending the social network (and its apps) not as a means of keeping up with your favorite celebrity, but to follow great business leaders, trainers and coaches.

Many of these sources will tweet nuggets of great information, links to useful content, and even the occasional free e-book or outher resournce. In addition, many of your favorite leadership and market authors will respond to direct tweets, giving you a one-on-one resource to answer your questions and.or give guidance.

Success or failure with Twitter lies in the hands of the one using it.

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Biz. Magazine • January 2014

Tribes

Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers. . . . It?s not easy, but it?s easier than you think.

And so the key question: Who is going to lead us?

More Tools Listen Up

Podcast of the Month BIZ. Tools Podcast With BIZ being focused on educating and helping business leaders learn about their market every month, we’re launching the BIZ Tools Podcast.

“BIZ is geared to helping business leaders do what they do better. And the BIZ Tools Podcast is a new component of that, where we couple content with that month’s edition to help educate business leaders with information that is relevant to them and the current business climate,” said BIZ President David A. Specht.

Along with the monthly print publication, the new 30 minute podcast will focus on a monthly topic and go deeper for more analysis.

No one has enough time in the day, but leaders always want to be getting better. The new BIZ Tools Podcast will allow you to educate yourself at your leisure — working out at the gym, walking the dog in the neighborhood, or driving to and from work.

“Podcasts are great because you can listen on your time, when it is convenient for you. And they’re always there. You can go back and listen to each month’s podcast, like a personal leadership seminar in your iPhone,” said Sean Green, BIZ Vice President.

The podcast will be made available the first of each month for free download on iTunes and can be streamed from www.bizmagsb.com.

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

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10 Biz. Magazine • January 2014

Uncommon Sense Marketing

It Is Time to Get Serious

W

Social Media must be a part of anyone’s marketing mix ill 2014 be the year you start to use social media effectively to market your business? Then consider these things.

Pick just a couple of social networks and do them well. Find out where your clients and prospects are and choose those.

Write out a plan and put systems in place. This will include who is going to handle your social media (individual, team, outsource), when and how often to post, plus how to build engagement and followers. Be consistent in your efforts. Most businesses get best results when posting daily, if not more often. And you may need to put aside a small budget for social media ads.

Create a social media calendar. This might be a blank paper calendar with check boxes for each day that you are posting. Or you could use a spreadsheet. Keep track of holidays, events, sales, promotions, or special activities here and coordinate your posts to support what is going on in your business during the year.

Build a list of content sources. Some of the content will be original and some will be shared content from other websites, blogs, articles, videos and graphics. These sources will vary by business, but consider what your followers would find valuable, entertaining and educational.

Remember, you can’t just post “buy my widget” over and over. You should only directly promote your business and products 10—20% of the time.

Integrate all of your social media outlets. That means, put links from one network to the other, plus a link to your website. Many use social media to drive traffic to their website. Don’t forget to include links to your social networks in your email signature and on your business cards.

Amy Kinnaird

Social Media Evangelist She trains business owners and entrepreneurs how to use the latest marketing tools and techniques to attract and keep clients.

View Amy’s website at www.uncommonsensemarketing.com.

Social media is ever-changing, and you need to stay current. For many, 2014 might be the year to look at Pinterest as a business marketing tool. Facebook is still best for relationship building, but Pinterest has the most social sharing of any network.

Rededicate yourself to effectively using social media this year. Create a plan and some simple systems and checklists, then build and engage your audience. Watch what the “experts” are doing. Model what is working well and stay ahead of your competition. Your consistency and efforts will be rewarded as you grow your online presence.

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

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Business Development

Smile. You Are on Camera

O

Boost marketing messages with web video

ne hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, according to a news release on the video host’s website. A CNN report in November cited research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, saying, “Since 2009, the percentage of adults watching or downloading online videos has gone up from 69% to 78% … The most popular way of viewing clips is streaming them through video-sharing sites such as YouTube, followed by regular websites, apps and via social media.”

The internet continues to grow as a source where people watch videos, which means web video should be part of your company’s marketing strategy. If you already have a professionally produced, standard-length broadcast commercial, it can easily be reformatted to be published to your company’s website and social media channels.

Many freelance professionals can affordably produce video content specifically with the web in mind.

YouTube and Vimeo are great (free!) places to post tutorials or proof-of-performance videos for company products and services. People are more likely to watch a video if it lasts two minutes or less, but of course each video should be tailored to its message.

Video blogs are a great way to share expertise. Customers love to be informed before making purchases in this digital age, and if they find your video advice valuable, your company will be the one they remember when they’re ready to buy.

Facebook and Instagram are great for posting up-tothe-minute news about your company. As long as the audio quality is bearable, these videos can be shot cheaply with your phone or tablet and posted immediately. Just remember to keep the videos relevant and concise (15-second limit on Instagram). Your Facebook and Instagram followers are the people who already believe in your company, and they can be turned off by lots of pushy ad videos.

Jill Macchiaverna Jill is Publicity Chair, Business Development Connection for the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce.

Ten years ago, it seemed like if your company didn’t have a website, it was out of touch. Now the stakes are higher: if your company’s website doesn’t have video, it’s getting outdated. Stay current by posting content that is relevant to your customers.

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

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Cover Story

STORY BY Sean Green

More than Advertising

T

Willis Knighton Director of Marketing explains demographics, tageting and connections

V commercials, radio spots, Facebook promotions, newspaper and magazine ads, brochures, YouTube videos...What do these all have in common?

They’re calls to action, they’re information, they’re resources, they’re entertainment, and they’re pointed at you.

They’re the tools of marketing.

Moreover, they’re essential for your business to make money.

Even a local giant like Willis-Knighton Health System needs to market themselves. And that job falls to Director of Marketing Marilyn S. Joiner, APR. “It’s a great feeling to have a job where you can affect a person’s life for the better with what the type of job I do at

14 Biz. Magazine • January 2014

Willis Knighton,” said Joiner.

Her approach to marketing is to identify a demographic and then target them, specifically.

“You need to reach them on an emotional and rational level,” said Joiner.

She acknowledges that as a business owner, it can be difficult to cut emotional ties to your business, but it is necessary to remove your attachment and look at it with a discerning eye.

“I’m not here to tell you what I like and don’t like, I’m here to give you logical information from which you can make a logical financial decision. Marketing is a financial decision, you need to treat it that way and not as an emotional decision.”

She advises that the best marketing is one where your audience doesn’t feel they are being marketed to, but being asked to be involved.

“We always want to be aware of who the consumer is and suit that person and their needs,” said Joiner.

The traditional marketing for Willis-Knighton has been on outdoor and print, but when she came onboard, she realized the importance of the Internet.

“When I came to Willis-Knighton, our website was a brochure on a screen. But since then, we’ve recognized the importance of the web. That has transformed the way people get information on health care,” said Joiner.

“We’ve tried to not just make a website that tells you services but brings in a health library and kid’s health li-

Cover Story

Look at your demographic and tell them what you offer that is different from everyone else. You want to empower people, you want to make the consumer comfortable with their choice. brary. When you have something that is written in a language that kids can understand, that’s target marketing,” she explained.

The nature of Willis-Knighton means there are many facets, and audiences for those facets, that all must be covered. That leaves Joiner and her department a lot of work to do.

“A company like Willis Knighton has so many dimensions.

We provide care to everyone through every stage of life from minor illnesses to very sophisticated conditions.”

She says the way to fill this need is through product differentiation.

“Look at your demographic and tell them what you offer that is different from everyone else. You want to empower people, you want to make the consumer comfortable with their choice,” Joiner said.

She says, especially in her industry, a plan is good, but being flexible is a must.

“We’re always planning, but with health care being so fluid, we need to be able to adapt and adjust. But I think that’s true in any business,” Joiner said. “A plan gives you structure but you need to be flexible and be able to take bold steps.”

When asked if there are challenges and opportunities presented by the Shreveport-Bossier market, she responded without a pause, “Every day.”

“You’ve got to be adaptable to changing needs, be prepared to commit budget, time, and staffing to what needs to be done. You don’t go home until you get the job done. We can’t come in at 8 a.m., take an hour lunch, and go home at 5 p.m. We have to expect to do more and want to do more,” said Joiner. “Marketing people need to have financial sense and creative ability. You’ve got to have a full breadth of people to address the full breadth of people you’re reaching.”

Then the question begs, where does Joiner see the future of both Willis-Knighton, and the marketing industry as a whole, heading?

“Fifteen years ago, we never would have dreamed there would be Facebook or mobile apps. We just have to know that you can’t always do things the same way you did it before. You have to identify where the market is going.”

5

1

Ways to Be ‘The Brand’

Make Your Brand Personal

Believe in what you are selling and be excited about what you are doing. Exude that enthusiasm and energy for what you are offering to others.

2

Define and Shape You as the Brand

Think about your image and how you can personify a brand. Think about what makes you different than the crowd in terms of your overall attributes.

3

Build a Following

Talk about your brand in an effective way. Clearly and consistently communicate what you stand for and why you are the best at what you do.

4

Saturate the Market

Your image has to shine above the rest as well as reach the most people. Use online ads, social networking channels, traditional media, or direct mail to tell your story to a wide audience.

5

Invest in Your Brand

Carefully manage your brand to increase its worth. Personal interaction makes the brand stick in the minds of your intended audience because you have made an impression and offered a visual image.

via John Scherer, careerbright.com

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

15

Business news you can’t wait to read.

Business news is happening all the time in Shreveport-

Bossier. And nothing keeps you in the loop better than the

BIZ. Daily Report. Get the latest by email each day.

Sign up for FREE at bizmagsb.com.

16 12 Biz. Biz. Magazine Magazine••January December 2014 2013

Cover Story

Marketing like Apple Computer

I

What small companies and startup businesses can learn from the world’s most valuable brand n 1977, Apple Computer founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were frenzied, taking orders for the Apple I and looking for venture capital as they developed the Apple II. The men brought on investor Mike Markkula into the business. In addition to injecting $250,000 into the company and becoming a third partner, Markkula penned "The Apple Marketing Philosophy," a three-point call to action that has served the company well. It can also be an example for other startup businesses.

Point No. 1: Empathy Apple should strive for an "intimate" connection with customers' feelings. "We will truly understand their needs better than any other company," Markkula wrote.

Point No. 2: Focus To be successful, Apple should center its efforts on accomplishing its main goals, and eliminate all the "unimportant opportunities."

Point No. 3: Impute Apple should be constantly aware that companies and their products will be judged by the signals they convey. "People DO judge a book by its cover," Markkula wrote. "We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software etc.; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities."

Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/220603#ixzz2nfEgWvnY

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

17

Bossier Chamber News

Linda McCrory and Robin Williams. Robin Williams is the Marketing Representative for Holiday Lanes in Bossier City.

T

Bossier Chamber Diplomats issue awards at luncheon

he Bossier Chamber Diplomats gathered on Wednesday, December 11, for the annual Christmas luncheon where they recognized Robin Williams of Holiday Lanes with the Bossier Chamber Diplomat Outstanding Service Achievement Award and welcomed new team members. The luncheon was held at the Gibsland Bank and Trust Lake House at the Villaggio and hosted over 40 Bossier Chamber Diplomats. Chamber Diplomats are business professionals who volunteer their time throughout the year and play an important role in the success of the Chamber; supporting the organization's mission by helping to grow and maintain a strong membership base, through activities that promote member recruitment, engagement, and retention.

The diverse group of business volunteers represents an array of business sectors from hospitality, sales, and real estate to non-proďŹ ts, entrepreneurs and marketing executives.

Bossier Chamber Diplomat Leadership Team: (L to R) Sherry Stuckey, Debbie Thurmond, Cindy Lubbe.

18 Biz. Magazine • January 2014

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19

NWLA Tourism

STORY BY Chris Jay

Planning Family Time

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Convention & Tourist Bureau offering reunion planning workshop

Find out more About the Reunion Planning Event by scanning this QR Code

lanning to organize a family, class, or military reunion in the future? If so, mark your calendar for Saturday, Feb. 8, and make plans to attend the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s free Reunion Planning Workshop. The workshop will be held, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at The Lakehouse at Villaggio in Bossier City. Attendees will learn how to plan a reunion itinerary, how to select a host hotel, tips for scouting event sites and more. Approximately 30 vendors, including local hotels, restaurants and community centers who frequently work closely with reunions, will also be on-hand to meet with reunion planners.

“When someone steps up to plan a reunion, whether it’s family, military, or a class reunion, that can really make a difference in filling up a local hotel,” said Kelly Wells, vice president of tourism marketing for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. “We’re going to provide people with the timeline and the tools that they need to plan and accomplish a reunion.”

The last time that this workshop was offered was four years ago. The workshop is

20 Biz. Magazine • January 2014

open to anyone planning to organize a reunion in the future, regardless of whether they have any reunion planning experience.

Participants can expect a presentation on the basics of event planning, addressing everything from budgeting to developing a committee of organizers. There will also be a meet-and-greet session, during which event planners can get to know the vendors in attendance. Lunch will be included for participants.

host hotel and are just looking for what we call ‘goodie bags’ or city maps,” Flowers said.

“In a lot of cases, people who contact me may be just beginning to plan their reunion, and they’re not sure how to get started.”

Kevin Flowers, reunion sales coordinator for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, will also be on-hand at the Feb. 8 workshop. Flowers, who is the first point of contact for individuals seeking to plan a reunion of any size in ShreveportBossier, says that reunion planners come to him with a variety of requests pertaining to events of all sizes, ranging from one-day family “get-togethers” to week-long events with banquets and more.

While this workshop is free for event planners, there is a $50 fee for vendors to participate. For more information on the workshop, contact Kevin Flowers at (318) 429-0625. To RSVP for the workshop, meeting planners should visit reunionplanningworkshop.eventbrite.com.

Vendors wishing to participate should visit reunionplanningworkshopvendors.eventbrite.co m. Those who are unable to RSVP for the workshop online may do so by contacting Kevin Flowers by phone.

“Some reunion planners are seeking assistance with getting room rates and availability from area hotels, and we’re able to send out a lead to request that information on their behalf. Others may already have identified their

The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s new Family Reunion Planning Folder, a toolkit containing useful event planning information, will also be distributed during the event.

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22 Biz. Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ January 2014

From the Bossier Chamber

Partnering for Profit and Purpose

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How the Bossier Chamber works for businesses

ith the ever-changing landscape of consumers, demographics and audiences, marketing strategies can seem complex. The driving force behind marketing eďŹ&#x20AC;orts is directly related to a businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bottom line. There are many diďŹ&#x20AC;erent ways a business can implement a marketing strategy; and hopefully your marketing strategy has a community component built in its execution plan. Assuring a community component is a key part of your business strategy can help market your business on multiple levels. Being involved in community conversations can help businesses understand complex issues pertaining to the local market, help to identify their target market is as well as consumer behaviors and how to conduct a dialogue with them. Additional advantages of being involved on a community level are related to the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception and increased level of trust associated with businesses - both large and small - who are endorsed or involved with membership organizations such as the chamber of commerce.

In a recent study conducted by the Schapiro Group, a sample group of 2,000 adults nationwide were selected to help provide insight on the impact of chambers of commerce in their communities. According to the study, 59% of respondents think that being active in the local chamber of commerce is an eďŹ&#x20AC;ective business strategy overall. However, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 29% more eďŹ&#x20AC;ective for communicating to consumers that a company uses sound business practices and is reputable.

Association with the chamber of commerce can help to inďŹ&#x201A;uence a positive image for businesses as consumers attribute certain values such as trustworthiness, and are seen as industry leaders.

So, how can the Bossier Chamber partner for proďŹ t and purpose with your business? As your premier â&#x20AC;&#x153;connection agencyâ&#x20AC;? dedicated to enhancing the development of economic prosperity, we are committed to providing our member base with many beneďŹ ts and encourage your business to GET CONNECTED, GET EDUCATED, GET ENGAGED with the Bossier Chamber of Commerce!

A partnership with value, purpose and meaning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is how the Bossier Chamber works for you: Relationship Building - We help our members build connections through our 38 plus events annually. With a variety of unique networking opportunities such as the annual gala, golf tournament and 5K Run, your business is sure to make meaningful, strategic contacts which help participating businesses increase their visibility in the community.

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Economic Development - We partner with local Economic Development Agencies to recruit and retain business in order to drive job creation.

Education - We partner across industry sectors such as technology health care and oil and gas, to provide opportunities for students that will help them grow and improve the workforce pipeline. In addition to ensuring students are prepared to ďŹ ll high=-demand jobs, the Chamber seeks to educated its membership base on trending topics aďŹ&#x20AC;ecting a variety of businesses and sectors from across the region.

more FFor or m ore information information call call 318.746.0711 318.746.0711 orr vvisit BoomtownBossier.com o i si t B oomtownBossier.com

Legislative Advocacy - We advocate pro-business policies and legislation to help companies grow and prosper. Through lobbying eďŹ&#x20AC;orts, special events, legislative updates, governmental aďŹ&#x20AC;airs newsletter, and attending city meetings the Chamber is the voice of business in Bossier Parish.

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23

Dave Says — On Business Handling social media Dear Dave, I own a small business, and I’m having trouble with public forum review sites. I’m sure in some cases they’re being filtered in a way that paints my business in a negative light after I’ve declined to advertise my restaurant with them. How would you handle this kind of problem?

Carl Dear Carl, Restaurants get hammered a lot online, and many of these kinds of sites are losing credibility because people are using them improperly. I’m not sure if one of them is out to get you, but there are lots of cases where competitors will leave bad reviews. And of course, there are random crazies out there who will post some pretty messed-up stuff too.

The best suggestion I can give is for you to simply make these things irrelevant with your other marketing. Overwhelm potential customers with the quality of your food and establishment through your online presence. Make sure the design of your website is clean, crisp and inviting, and that your images are high-quality work. You could even post a 360-degree tour of your restaurant, showing that you run a nice, classy place. If you’re situated in a beautiful location, include that as a selling point too. And double-check to ensure sure that all your information, like menu prices, address and phone number, is up to date.

Accurately message your position and offerings in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible, Carl. That’s my advice. I really don’t care about the kind of online reviews you’re talking about, because I get to my customers directly through the power of great marketing. The more you take control of the presentation and publicity of your business, the faster these outside entities will lose credibility!

—Dave

A farming budget

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Dear Dave, I have a 140-acre farm, and I recently began running my operation debt free. The problem is that I have $250,000 in debt hanging on from bad decisions in the past, and the varying expenses in my business make it difficult to budget. Do you have any suggestions for budgeting in a volatile industry like mine?

Tyler Dear Tyler, Obviously, you want to set up a separate budget and run a profit and loss statement. You’ll want to estimate the income, as best you can, for the year, and you’d need to estimate your expenses item by item and category by category for the year. Then, you’ll want to break that down by month. This is called laying out a business pro forma. In other words, a business budget.

Next, you’ve got two goals to work toward with your profits. By profits, I mean after you’ve paid household expenses. That includes a living wage, enough to operate, keeping food on the table, the lights on and that sort of thing. After basic living expenses are out of the way, your net profit in the business should be divided between retained earnings—which is savings— and debt reduction. The idea here is that you’re going to put the lion’s share toward paying off debt. Still, you need to have something set aside for a rainy day. In your case, that could be taken literally.

Keep in mind that in business, retained earnings are used for more than just emergencies. They’re also for buying equipment, more land and anything else that will grow your operation. But you always want a pad in there for that and other reasons. What if you have a strange year, and your budget estimates were way off? It could be unexpected expenditures or the fact that you simply had a bad Dave Ramsey year. In business, that’s called an emergency, and you’d Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted take that out of retained earnings. voice on money and business. He’s auDoing a budget, whether it’s in personal finance or a thored four New York Times best-sellbusiness, is something that gets easier and more accurate ing books: Financial Peace, More Than with time. You won’t get everything right the first couple of Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership. The Dave Ramtries, but over time your estimates and budgeting skills sey Show is heard by more than 6 milwill become more accurate because they’ll be based on lion listeners each week on more than experience.

500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Good luck, Tyler!

Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the —Dave web at daveramsey.com.

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Lunch Break

You Go, Grill

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Chris Jay reviews local food every Tuesday at www.20x49.com.

Lilah’s Bakery: Grilled Cheese Scientists at Work ntil I actually spent some time talking to the folks who run the Lilah’s Bakery food truck, I admit that I didn’t appreciate what made it special. “Grown-up grilled cheeses,” I thought. “Everyone’s doing grown-up grilled cheeses these days.”

Chris Jay Public Relations and Social Media Manager, Shreveport Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. He is a monthly contributor to Biz. Magazine.

He may be reached via email at cjay@sbctb.org.

But now that I’ve spent some time with Mr. Tike and his team at the truck, I have a better understanding. These guys are like grilled cheese scientists. You get the impression that this isn’t a casual interest. There’s probably a notepad on Mr. Tike’s nightstand, where he jots down ideas for grilled cheese sandwiches that come to him in the middle of the night. The young man operating the griddle pulled out his cell phone to show me photos of his favorite grilled cheese sandwiches that he’s ever made. Seriously.

So far, the menu includes about 20 different vari-

eties. The sandwiches range from commonplace (American cheese grilled on white bread, $3) to completely unexpected (the “Indian Melt,” a grilled cheese made on Indian naan bread with spicy chicken and Indian curry sauce, $7). If there’s a way to enhance or dress up a grilled cheese, they’ve probably thought of it. You can add bacon, grilled onions, a Parmesan cheese crust, cream cheese or sliced tomatoes. Delicious homemade tomato soup can be purchased by the “shot” for 50 cents, or by the cup for $3. A “shot” is just enough to dip every corner of the sandwich in – probably, again, not a coincidence.

Grilled cheese-obsessed minds are at work.

Something else that I learned about the Lilah’s Bakery truck, which also struck me as kind of wild: Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night beginning at 10 p.m., they park the truck near the Texas Street Bridge in downtown Shreveport and

deliver grilled cheeses all over downtown by bicycle. Somewhere in Shreveport, there is a man whose job is to deliver grilled cheese sandwiches by bicycle in the dead of night. That just makes me happy.

The Lilah’s Bakery food truck is an offshoot of the storefront location at The Outlets at Louisiana Boardwalk, which is perhaps best known for cupcakes, Mardi Gras king cakes and custom cake orders. The grilled cheese menu is available at the store as well as the food truck.

The Lilah’s Bakery food truck’s phone number is (318) 564-2831, and call-in orders are welcome.

The storefront phone number is (318) 742-4595.

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

25

Business Etiquette

Marketing Yourself

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Take the time to improve your first impressions

hile judging a competition at a local vocational school, my husband was impressed by one young man who separated from the other students, walked to the judges, and shook their hands, thanking them for their time. This young man did not win the competition. He did win a job at my husband’s company. With marketing, we often think of brochures, flyers, websites, and other written communications. We hire experts to prepare these important papers and spend a lot of time and money getting them just right. While focusing on just the right words and photos for these documents, we can easily forget that people do business with other people, not paper.

YOU are your most valuable marketing tool. Or, are you? You tell people how to treat you by how you present yourself to them. If you are in control of how people perceive you, why wouldn’t you do your best to make a positive impression for both your business success and your personal success? Let’s compare ourselves to the marketing documents that we spend considerable time and money preparing.

APPEARANCE Just as you wouldn’t hand out a dirty or wrinkled brochure, you should be clean, neat, and well put together. Hair, cosmetics, and clothing should be in current styles. With all of the new medical insurance changes, would you hire an insurance agent who appears out of date?

WORDS Our words and the tone of our voices should be positive and friendly. Verbal mispronunciations are equivalent to written misspelled words; both are unprofessional and seem uneducated. Use your business voice which is clear, easily understood, and lacks slang and off-color words.

QUALITY Like the look and feel of high quality paper, do your clothes represent your company and the quality of the products or services you provide? Are they the best you can afford and tailored to fit so they hang correctly? Business clothes should be appropriate for your industry, formal and conservative for law and finance, and approachable and friendly for social work and medicine.

Teri Haynes Owner of Business Interactions, LLC Employee trainer and business etiquette coach www.BusinessInteractions.Net

26

Biz. Magazine • January 2014

BEHAVIOR While paper doesn’t actually behave, we do want our marketing documents to have a positive influence.

Does your behavior have a positive influence on people?

Separate yourself from the crowd. Approach other people with confidence in your marketability, shake their hand, and have a pleasant comment to make. Be the one to win the job!

Spotlight

Get in the Spotlight Each Month, BIZ will feature a business or entrepreneur that is making a difference in Shreveport-Bossier.

Jerry Frentress Is...

The Power Tools Guy

A

Former radio group manager now helping others succeed with marketing, leadership, sales

fter three decades of selling in radio, one local salesperson has turned into an entrepreneur.

Jerry Frentress, owner of WinWin Powertools, empowers local businesses with his desire to win.

“I had long ago realized that I was more excited by my clients’ success than they were. I love to help others win! And when my clients win, they help me win,” he said.

Spending 35 years in radio taught Jerry how to sell himself, which would be very beneficial for his future venture.

“Radio is an intangible that flies through the air. My clients couldn’t see it, taste it or test drive my product. I learned that they ultimately bought me.”

He partnered with his wife of 45 years, Andrea, 11 years ago to begin Win-Win Power Tools.

“The roots had grown deep in both my career and Shreveport-Bossier, so we decided to stay here. My goal, as always, was to help companies and individuals to grow their skills in sales and service,” said Frentress.

He provides local businesses with what he calls Power Tools — fundamental tools of communication that everyone can use to grow their business and personal lives.

“Power Tools are available to everyone. All you have to do is power up, practice their use and put them to work,” he said.

Originally created to work with advertising clients, Jerry soon learned that “sales is sales.” His clients have varied

from the Advertising Media to Home Medical Supplies and from a Limousine Service to a Master Plumber.

“I love to speak on sales, service, listening and communicating. I frequently get asked to work with organizations who want to have fun and learn how they can power up right now to make a difference in their lives and careers,” Jerry explained.

Jerry’s advice to local business leaders is PPP: Planning, Preparing, and Practicing.

“Develop a team that honors the prospects time. Prepare a team like professional athletes who practice, plan and prepare MORE than they play. Show the clients that you care about them…that you want them to WIN.” Jerry also advises to never practice on your client, PPP every day.

“Clients and Customers believe that salespeople will WASTE our time. Time is precious. We don't think we have enough of it. BE the very best you can be., every time you are with a prospect. You never know who you are talking to. He or she may be you next biggest client.”

January 2014 • Biz. Magazine

27

SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER has extended the healing ministry SINCE 1894, CHRISTUS HEALTH of Jesus Christ to those we serve.

$55 MILLION to redesign and expand our services at CHRISTUS Highland Hospital, TODAY, AS WE INVEST our commitment to our community and mission remains unchanged.

WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE … AND YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE.

VIEW OF

CHRISTUS Highland www. christushealthsb. org

28 Biz. Magazine • January 2014

BERT KOUNS

NORTH