:: Posted by cbwebster on 05-04-2010
I’m committed to being a “good global citizen.” And I’m very proud to have recently signed The Thunderbird School of Global Business Oath of Honor. Won’t you subscribe to the same philosophy?
Thunderbird Professional Oath of Honor
As a Thunderbird and a global citizen, I promise:
I will strive to act with honesty and integrity,
I will respect the rights and dignity of all people,
I will strive to create sustainable prosperity worldwide,
I will oppose all forms of corruption and exploitation, and
I will take responsibility for my actions.
As I hold true to these principles, it is my hope that I may enjoy an honorable reputation and peace of conscience.
This pledge I make freely and upon my honor.
:: Posted by cbwebster on 02-09-2010
Women have been in the workforce for years, but according to data just released this month by the Labor Department, for the first time ever in the United States, women outnumber men in the workforce! A milestone to celebrate, for sure! Now if we can just get the same pay…….
:: Posted by cbwebster on 01-20-2010
We at Cassel International would like to wish you a very happy, healthy, blessed and successful 2010!
This year, we have resolved to do everything we can to be a green office! And we hope you will, too. A few tips to help get you started:
- Don’t print out all your e-mails! We rarely do – you just have to develop an organized in-computer filing system so that you can easily find them when you need them again. (And when all else fails, do a Google Desktop search!)
- Recycle paper regularly! All the mail, all the faxes, etc. that we don’t need are put in our recycle pile. Anything with confidential information should be shredded. If you have a small office, it’s not difficult to take the recycle off to a recycling center every few weeks. For a larger office, there are shredding companies who will do it for you!
- We were very excited to find out about a new FREE font called Ecofont which can save up to 25% of ink or toner in your printer! More information on how it works and a free download here – http://www.ecofont.eu/en_pro_ecofont_professional.html
Join us in being green this year! Contrary to what Kermit the Frog always said – it’s EASY being green!
:: Posted by cbwebster on 01-07-2010
Wishing you a very happy, healthy, blessed and successful year in 2010! We weathered a dim, dull economic period in 2009, and hope that 2010 will be brighter and shinier in every way.
Even so, much to be thankful for. Start every day off with a word of thanks for one person or thing in your life, no matter how small. Good to do for your business, as well as your personal life! Begining each day with a sense of gratitude will go a long way toward developing a positive outlook.
Speaking of being grateful, kudos to Xerox for sponsoring a program to send printed thank yous to our U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. Take advantage today – it’s easy and free – http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html.
Here’s to 2010 and the new decade!
:: Posted by cbwebster on 12-10-2009
One of the most important things you can do as you begin to expand your business overseas is to work with a local partner who understands the market. But it can be very difficult to find the right person or company – someone you trust, someone who has a good established network, and someone who is ready to work for you.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has an excellent service designed to maximize your changes of finding just the right sales rep, distributor, agent or partner. Check out their Gold Key Matching Service. I’ve had great success with it in the past.
:: Posted by cbwebster on 12-01-2009
Lately I’ve bee doing a lot for videoconferencing with clients, colleagues and suppliers. I use Skype (www.skype.com) which is a great program (and free!). I discovered a few weeks ago that while you are videoconferencing, you can even show someone what is on your computer screen (great for training purposes, by the way!)
At any rate, having been doing this for some time, there a few things to watch out for!
- Make sure the lighting is right. I have overhead lights and a window to one side, and had to experiment a bit to get the right lighting for the webcam.
- Don’t wear your pajamas! Often I’m on Skype early in the morning (to Europe) or early in the evening (to Asia/Australia). In the mornings, I have to make a conscious effort to remember to comb my hair, and at least wear something presentable on the top!
- Make sure you’re not sitting too close or too far away – again, a little experimentation with the webcam angle and your seating proximity before you have your videoconference would be advisable.
- Check what’s behind you in the webcam (no inappropriate pictures, no mess in your home office, etc.) – you want the background to look professional!
Happy videoconferencing!
:: Posted by cbwebster on 11-19-2009
If you’re like most companies, you haven’t taken a good hard look at your marketing plan for the coming year. Guess what! It’s the middle of November, and time is marching on fast! It’s not too late to start planning for next year to lay out the optimal marketing plan to achieve maximum growth in the coming year!
Take 30 minutes out of your day the next few days and take a look at the following:
- What did your business do this year? Did your revenue/profit grow or shrink?
- What marketing activities did you undertake in 2009? Did you measure the success of your marketing activities? (For example, increase in web traffic, signups for newsletters, telephone calls resulting from direct mail campaigns, and of course business generated).
- What is your competition doing? How do your marketing activities differentiate you from your competition? What do you differently and/or better?
The answers to these questions will provide a good foundation for putting together next year’s plan. As always, we’re here to help.
:: Posted by cbwebster on 11-09-2009
Once you’ve decided on a target market for exporting your product, you need to think about what changes you may need to make to your product for it to be successful in an international market.
What’s Your Product Strategy? — Can you sell the same product everywhere with the same promotional message? Will you sell the same product with a different promotional strategy? Can you sell an adapted product with the same or a different promotional strategy? Or do you need to develop a completely new product for your export market?
Cultural Influences — Social structure, language, religion, education and tradition in your selected country or region will all have an effect on your product customization. Food tastes and preferences vary tremendously from region to region—when it comes to foods, beverages and scents, there really is no “global culture”!
Economic Influences — Less developed countries tend not to demand high performance attributes. For example, in the U.S. we want our cars to have CD players, air conditioning and power steering; in other countries, just getting from Point A to Point B the most efficient and inexpensive way may be the number one consideration.
Technical Influences—Testing standards may vary from country to country, as may electrical power and other characteristics.
:: Posted by cbwebster on 10-19-2009
The daily grind can sometimes consume you to the point that you’re not thinking about marketing your business. But marketing should be a daily activity, and some things you can do only take a few minutes of your time!
Do you have a prospect list? Make a call to at least one a day to see if they’re ready to use your products or services. Finished a project for a client? Contact them to ask for a testimonial and at least one referral to a new prospect (keeping that prospect list fresh and growing is important!)
Make marketing a priority – put it on your schedule every day first thing. You’ll be amazed at the results!
