Blog

Fall Open House

Posted in: Blog by David Richins on October 5, 2011 | No Comments

You’re invited to the annual PBS fall Open House!

Business Connections

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on | 1 Comment

The Business Connections networking group is a great networking opportunity for any business professional. Meetings are held monthly at the Northern Kentucky Pub in the Crestview shopping center. The networking event is held every second Tuesday of each month from 6pm-8pm. The Pub offers a laid back atmosphere where people can get together and network in a pressure free environment. If you are interested in the Business Connections group feel free to visit us on meetup.com or call 513-474-4555.

New Addition to PBS

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on September 30, 2011 | No Comments

PBS says Goodbye to Mandy Henson.  Mandy was a  payroll specialist and receptionist for over a year at PBS.  She is pursuing other job opportunities and will be missed at PBS.  However, PBS is excited about their new addition, Tasha Foy the new payroll specialist and receptionist at PBS.  Tasha is currently attending Northern Kentucky University seeking a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Tasha is a very busy woman; she juggles the roles of student, mother, and now PBS employee. She currently resides in Northern Kentucky with her husband, two cats, three ferrets, and a five month old son. We are very excited to have Tasha here at PBS and we know she will do a wonderful job.

Meet Mallory

Posted in: Blog, People at PBS by Mallory Malloy on September 14, 2011 | No Comments

Hello, I am Mallory Malloy.  I am a marketing manager here at Professional Business Services and I have been with the company for one year.  I am currently a senior at Northern Kentucky University studying English with an emphasis on literature, I love to read!  I am a huge Shakespeare fan; some of my favorite works are Titus Andronicus and Macbeth.  When I am not at the office or in school I enjoy teaching Zumba Fitness. 

You might recognize me from a networking event or the web-based promotional videos showcasing our different businesses here at PBS.  I recently shot a video promoting the upcoming open house event we host every fall.  Look for the new video coming soon and I hope to run into you sometime at a networking event, be sure to say hello.

Business consultants, coaches, facilitators, and mentors

Posted in: ABR Handouts, Blog, Business Planning, Leadership by Mallory Malloy on September 12, 2011 | No Comments

Business Consultants- A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter. A consultant usually works for a consultancy firm or is self-employed, and engages with multiple and changing clients. Thus, clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired.  A consultant does things for others as well as by giving them advice on how to make their business more successful.

Business Counselors- A counselor is also an expert like the consultant but limits his involvement to giving advice only, that is, he tells the client how and what to do.

Business Coaches- Coaches also help people do things for themselves but not in the same way as counselors. They may have no expertise or knowledge of a specific technical area. They partner with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. They may challenge the client’s internal beliefs or help to remove internal stumbling blocks that limit the client’s potential. Coaching regards the client as the expert in his/her life and work and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and ultimately “whole.”

Business Facilitators- The facilitator’s job is to support everyone to do their best thinking and practice. To do this, the facilitator encourages full participation, promotes mutual understanding and cultivates shared responsibility. By supporting everyone to do their best thinking, a facilitator enables group members to search for inclusive solutions and build sustainable agreements.

Business facilitators’ work in business, and other formal organizations but facilitators may also work with a variety of other groups and communities. It is a tenet of facilitation that the facilitator will not lead the group towards the answer that he/she thinks is best even if they possess an opinion on the subject matter. The facilitator’s roles are to make it easier for the group to arrive at its own answer, decision, or deliverable.

Business Mentors- A mentor is someone with more experience and “seasoning” than the protege that they counsel.  A mentor serves as a trusted confidante over an extended period of time, usually free of charge. Why do they do this? First and foremost as a way of giving back to their community and to society at large. They may do it to develop their skills as a teacher, manager, strategist, or consultant. And a true mentoring relationship also works in both directions—they learn about new ideas from their protege just as the protege learns timeless wisdom from them.

But whatever the benefits to the mentor, the benefits to you, the entrepreneur, are even greater:

• Where else are you going to turn? There’s no boss any more to turn to for advice or direction—maybe not even any employees yet. You’re flying solo. But you don’t have to. Everybody needs a good reliable sounding board, second opinion, and sometimes just emotional support.

• They’ve “been there, done that”. Learn from others’ mistakes and successes. They don’t have to have experience in your particular industry. They don’t have to be up on the latest trends or technology—you’ve got other sources for that. Their role is to share with you lessons from their experience in the hopes that you can learn them a bit more quickly and easily.
• It’s (usually) free. If you’re on a tight budget, that’s a major factor. While good coaches and consultants may be able to offer some things that a mentor doesn’t, it comes at a price, usually of several hundred dollars a month. Mentors, though, are readily available free of charge through a number of organizations.
• Expand your social network. Your mentor, being an experienced businessperson, is likely to have an extensive network, and can offer you access to far more senior decision-makers than you currently have. And they will be far more willing to open that network up to you than some casual acquaintance from a networking meeting.
• A trusted, long-term relationship. Your mentor has no ulterior motive—no service or product to sell you. That combined with their experience creates a good foundation for trust. And as the relationship develops over time, that trust can grow even stronger. Also, your time with them becomes more and more efficient as they become more and more familiar with you and your business.

Roundtable News

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on August 29, 2011 | No Comments

At the most recent Anderson Business Roundtable (8/26/11), we saw lots of new faces and made some new connections.  There were so many people in attendance that it became a standing room only event.   We truly appreciate all of the support we get from our regular members and new people that come to see what all the talk is about.

The Anderson Business Roundtable is a great way to make connections with business professionals in a laid back atmosphere.  It is so rewarding to see our numbers growing weekly.  Each week we have a riveting discussion about what is happening in the business world and how it affects the business owners in attendance of the ABR and other business professionals.

Over the years we have witnessed strong business relationships form through the Anderson Business Roundtable, and Professional Business Services is proud to have supported something so impactful.  When our members attend each ABR meeting they come in with a smile on their face, ready to enjoy a good meal, and intelligently discuss and network with not only business professionals but the friends they have made through attending the ABR.

About QR Codes

Posted in: ABR Handouts, Blog, Business Development, Technology by Mallory Malloy on | No Comments

A QR code (abbreviation for Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data.

Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR codes now are used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (termed mobile tagging). QR codes may be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user’s device, to open a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), or to compose an e-mail or text message. Users can generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR code generating sites.

QR codes storing addresses and Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or almost any object about which users might need information. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone’s browser. This act of linking from physical world objects is termed hardlinking or object hyperlinking.

The use of QR codes is free of any license. The QR code is clearly defined and published as an ISO standard. Denso Wave owns the patent rights on QR codes, but has chosen not to exercise them.

Recently, QR codes have become more prevalent in marketing circles and have been integrated into both traditional and interactive campaigns. Media where QR codes have been deployed include: billboard ads, guerrilla marketing campaigns, in-store displays, event ticketing and tracking, trade-show management, business cards, print ads, contests, direct mail campaigns, websites, email marketing, and couponing just to name a few. QR codes are of particular interest to marketers, giving them the “ability to measure response rates with a high degree of precision” on marketing budgets. QR codes also have been used at trade shows and in conferences.

In July 2009, QR codes were created for character design and promotional materials in the Shane Acker film 9. The use of QR codes was part of the characters in the movie and culminated into a promotional campaign with unique QR code cards, posters, and street advertisements on billboards or public transportation for major popular art events. These advertisements were largely focused upon the attendees of the 2009 San Diego Comic Con and 2009 Academy Awards. QR codes were integrated into the artwork and symbolized individual characters in the movie. Instructional pamphlets and videos were released to explain how the codes could be retrieved and deciphered. QR-coded artwork could be read with QR-capable cellphones for prizes and access to exclusive online content. This was one of the first major integrations of QR codes with Hollywood studios and urban environments.

Sponsoring

Posted in: ABR Handouts, Blog by Mallory Malloy on August 22, 2011 | No Comments

Sponsorship

Sponsorship provides a great means of broadening your competitive edge by improving your company’s image, prestige and credibility by supporting events that your target market finds attractive.  In recent years, corporate sponsorship has become the fastest growing type of marketing in the United States.

Part of this growth can be attributed to the increasing numbers of small and medium-sized businesses involved.  Previously, only large businesses could afford to sponsor, now it has become a tool for boosting profits as well as establishing goodwill.  However, now smaller companies are sponsoring everything from local volleyball and softball teams to fairs, festivals and clean-ups of parks as an effective method of boosting their visibility in their community. Most of these sponsorships help these companies to enhance their public profile relatively cheaply.

Irrespective of the size of the company, however, experts in the field tout a broad spectrum of benefits that can be gained by sponsorship aside from enhancing visibility and image, such as differentiating the company from competitors, helping to develop closer and better relationships with customers, both existing and potential ones, showcasing services and products, and even getting rid of outdated inventory. These experts go on to say that when sponsorships are strategic and well-conceived, they can boost both short-term and long-term sales.

Event Sponsorship Benefits

Sponsorship of events in particular can be especially effective as a marketing tool because it can be a means of accessing a wide range of audiences such as decision makers in business, government entities, and of course customers. It can be particularly beneficial for companies that take part in international trade, because sponsorship transcends cultural and language barriers.

A growing number of marketers think that corporate sponsorship is better than other methods as it provides opportunities to gauge customer response to products immediately.  Events allow business owners or executives relate directly with their customers, while they give customers the opportunity to try out the products of a company firsthand. In comparison, marketing research methods such as focus groups are usually costly and may not focus on the right kind of people, while market surveys or questionnaires usually do not allow prospective customers the opportunity to try out products.

Heightened visibility due to positive publicity through the media is another reason corporate sponsorship of events – especially those that attract large numbers of people like popular sports events – can be the most effective marketing tool. Every corporate sponsor seeks the widest exposure possible in both print and electronic media. This publicity increases the visibility of the company’s products and services. The various kinds of media that cover the event usually include the names, and even pictures, of the sponsors. This kind of mass coverage by the media that the sponsor gets is usually unaffordable, if the company were to purchase it. Therefore, in order to maximize the impact, the company sponsoring the event should augment the media coverage the organizers arrange. In fact, sponsorship often can generate media coverage which may not have been otherwise available.

Telemarketing

Posted in: ABR Handouts, Blog by Mallory Malloy on August 15, 2011 | No Comments

Click here to see previous Anderson Business Roundtable topics.

How Telemarketing Works:

Call Center Base

• Telemarketing is a form of out-bound sales that takes place in either a call center or from a home office.  Most telemarketers work out of a call center.  Each telemarketer is given a cubicle and a phone. When a telemarketer calls you, you can often hear the other telemarketers in the background. Because of the noise some companies opt to have their employees make calls out of their home office. This creates jobs for moms who want to stay at home, or for disabled individuals who have trouble leaving home to go to work.

Phone Numbers

• Telemarketers are given phone numbers of prospects to call. These phone numbers are either received in response to some type of survey, bought from another company, or found in your every day phone book. The telemarketers must make a certain number of calls per day to stay above their quota. Telemarketers are also now using automated voice messages to pre-screen prospects since most individuals hang up on telemarketers. If the individual wants to hear more and speak to a representative they can just press one. Then the telemarketer would get on the phone and proceed with their sales pitch.

Sales

• The main reason for telemarketing is to sell some type of product or service. Sometimes it is to get more information about your buying habits. Many telemarketers work on commission so they are pushy when you answer the phone. They don’t take no for an answer because they know they can sway some individuals in to buying their product. Telemarketers are not left to call the individuals without a sales pitch. It is all pre-written for them. They might have some training as to how to handle any questions that may come up, but primarily they stick to their script

Surveys (passive selling)

• By giving well written surveys telemarketers are introducing your company, product, or service for the first time to consumers and businesses.  This can generate and qualify leads for follow-up.  Surveys are also a good tool to measure current customer satisfaction through reaching out to current customers for feedback about products and services.  Surveys are also a way to poll the general public about their perceptions of the company and products versus the competition.  This also gives the consumers the opportunity to give their input on what products should be offered in the future and what products, if any, should be brought back to the market.

Why Telemarketing Works?

• Personal Contact…prospects tend to discard mailouts.
• You can’t wait for clients to come to you…in today’s competitive market, you must seek them out.
• More cost-effective and flexible than printed advertising.
• Multiple products can be offered.
• Target specific groups by any criteria, such as age, economics, or geographical, just to name a few.

Subcategories in telemarketing:

• Lead Generation, the gathering of information
• Sales, using persuasion to sell a product or service
• Outbound, proactive marketing in which prospective and preexisting customers are contacted directly
• Inbound, reception of incoming orders and requests for information. Demand is generally created by advertising, publicity, or the efforts of outside salespeople.

Telemarketing is a good opportunity for a small business to generate appointments for potential clientele. It is the first step in the sales cycle to gaining revenue for your company.

Do Not Call List:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission have implemented a national “do not call” registry, making it illegal for telemarketers to contact you if you register your telephone number.

Frequently asked questions about the Do Not Call List:

How does the national do not call registry work?

By law, telemarketers must search the registry every 90 days and delete from their call lists any telephone numbers on the registry. If you continue to receive telemarketing calls even after you have registered your number, you will be able to file a complaint with the FCC or FTC. A telemarketer who disregards the do not call registry could be fined up to $11,000 for each call.

How do I register my telephone number?

You can register free of charge at www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll-free (888) 382-1222. If you register by telephone, you must call from the telephone number you wish to register.

Do I have to re-register my number every 5 years?

No. Originally, customers were required to re-register their number after 5 years on the registry, but the FCC recently changed this. Today, telemarketers are required to honor all registrations indefinitely, so the registrations will not automatically expire. Customers no longer need to re-register their numbers to continue their preference not to receive telemarketing calls.

Will this stop all telemarketing calls into my home?

Businesses with which you have an established business relationship are not required to follow the do not call rules. They can call you for up to 18 months from your last purchase, payment or delivery, even if your number is on the national registry. Companies with which you have made an inquiry or submitted an application can call you for three months, but if you ask a company not to call you, it must honor your request.

Callers soliciting charitable contributions do not have to search the national registry. Calls regarding political and religious speech are also not subject to the do not call requirements.

To avoid such calls, read all fine print before filling out sweepstakes or other contest forms. You may be establishing a business relationship, giving the company permission to call you. You can also ask companies and organizations to place you on their internal do not call lists.

What about my wireless phone?

Telemarketing to wireless phone numbers has always been illegal in most cases and will continue to be so. FCC regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call wireless phone numbers. Automated dialers are in standard use in the telemarketing industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers on their wireless phones without their consent.

Personal wireless phone users can add their numbers to the national registry. The government does not maintain a separate national wireless phone registry.

What is Ohio doing?

If you continue to receive unwanted telemarketing calls, you can file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General in addition to the FCC and FTC.

Are there other protections against unwanted telemarketing calls?

• The telemarketing rules prohibit deceptive and abusive telemarketing practices and protect you from late-night calls.
• Calling times are restricted to 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Telemarketers must promptly tell you who they are calling for and if the call is a sales call or charitable solicitation.
• Telemarketers must disclose all material information about the goods or services they are offering and terms of the sale. They are prohibited from lying about any terms of the offer.
• Telemarketers must transmit caller ID information and are prohibited from blocking caller ID information.
• Express permission must now be obtained in writing before advertisements may be sent to a customer.
• Fines for violations are $500 per each call and are payable to the victim.

Fax Blasting:

Fax Blasting (junk faxing), is a form of telemarketing where unsolicited advertisements are sent via fax transmission.  Junk faxing came into widespread use in the late 1980s as a result of the development and proliferation of relatively inexpensive desktop fax machines which resulted in rapid growth in the number of fax machines in the U.S.  The invention of the computer-based fax board in 1985, provided an efficient platform for reaching those fax machines with minimal cost and effort.

The fax machines of this period typically used expensive thermal paper and a common complaint about junk faxes was that they consumed that expensive paper without permission, thus shifting the cost of printing the advertisement to the recipient.

In the U.S., the passage of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in 1991 along with action by individual states reduced the use of junk faxes at that time. However, by the late 1990s junk faxing had once again become a widespread problem in the U.S., with the entry of a number of large-scale fax broadcasters such as fax.com who boasted of the capacity to send millions of fax advertisements per day. Because the legal restrictions of fax advertising are more widely known today, junk faxes are now predominately used in connection with disreputable or fly-by-night marketers. Fines for violations are $500 per each fax and are payable to the victim.

Fraud:

According to the FTC, at least several hundred telemarketing firms exist specifically to defraud people in North America including the United States and Canada. Fraudulent schemes range from charity schemes and credit card fraud to credit repair and loan schemes.  When speaking to a telemarketer, be sure you have all of the information about what they are selling and be cautious of telemarketing fraud. 

Food for Thought:

What are your opinions on telemarketing?

Would you use it to market your business?

Do you talk to telemarketers and listen to what they are selling?

What would a telemarketer have to tell you to keep you on the phone?

Whitney Comments on Promotional Items

Posted in: Blog, Business Development, People at PBS by Mallory Malloy on July 19, 2011 | No Comments

Whitney Recker is one of the marketing managers here at PBS.  She markets our various services such as payroll, accounting, and tax preparation.  Whitney has been the driving force behind our weekly newsletters and she helps represent PBS in social media.  She has been with the company for about eight months.  Whitney has a bachelor of communications degree from the University of Cincinnati.  In addition to working here at PBS Whitney, also works for her family business, In Touch Marketing.   They provide a wide variety of promotional items to companies.

I recently sat down with Whitney to gain some insight on the latest trends on promo items.

Q: How can promo items help businesses?

A: They can get a company’s name out and draw attention to a business.

Q: What is the most popular promo item currently on the market?

A: There is never one specific item that sells the most or is the most popular. It depends on what type of company you’re selling to and who their target audience is.

Q: Is there anything new and upcoming in the promo item world:

A: Tumblers with straws have been selling a lot lately. I am getting a lot of orders for them.

Q: When is your busiest season?

A: Based on the customers I have, the holiday season is the busiest for us.

Q: How has the economy affected your business selling promo items?

A: The economy had a great effect on my business. Promo items were one of the first things cut in companies budgets.

Q: Where do you expect the business of promo items to be in the next few years?

A: Things have picked up and I expect them to continue to grow.