Was 2010 the "Final League Year"?

Can the NFL still be great without a Collective Bargaining Agreement?

The NFL earns very substantial revenues. But the clubs are obligated by the CBA to spend substantially more than half their revenues – almost $4.5 billion this year alone -- on player costs. In addition, as we have explained to the union, the clubs must spend significant and growing amounts on stadium construction, operations and improvements to respond to the interests and demands of football fans. The current labor agreement does not adequately recognize the costs of generating the revenues of which the players receive the largest share; nor does the agreement recognize that those costs have increased substantially -- and at an ever increasing rate -- in recent years during a difficult economic climate in our country. As a result, under the terms of the current agreement, the clubs’ incentive to invest in the game is threatened.

There are substantial other elements of the deal that simply are not working. For example, as interpreted by the courts, the current CBA effectively prohibits the clubs from recouping bonuses paid to players who subsequently breach their player contacts or refuse to perform. That is simply irrational and unfair to both fans and players who honor their contracts. Also irrational is that in the current system some rookies are able to secure contracts that pay them more than top proven veterans.

The players have some issues and concerns as well. As more former NFL players suffer from debilitating and disheartening injuries and diseases related to their hard-hitting profession. Many of them diagnosed with the kind of brain damage that will likely cause full-on dementia. Asking the players to play an additional two games a year will only add to their future health problems and shorten their careers. Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/04/2850795/we-need-to-take-football-head.html#ixzz1LaLsjPJ9 

One of the things that has marked the modern NFL as different from other major professional sports leagues is the apparent parity between its 32 teams. While from time to time, dominant teams have arisen, the league has been cited as one of the few where every team has a realistic chance of winning the championship from year to year. The league's complex collective labor agreement with its players' union, which mandates a hard salary cap and revenue sharing between its clubs, prevents the richest teams from stockpiling the best players and gives even teams in smaller cities such as Kansas City, Green Bay and New Orleans the opportunity to compete for the Super Bowl and has made football the number one sport in America.results of the contracts between the NFL Owners and Players.

Regardless of the results of the new agreement between the NFL Owners and Players, chance are that unless another CBA is implemented and parity maintained among the league; the best years of the NFL may be the ones in the past, not in the future.

Coasting in Business May Mean Business is Going Downhill!

If your business is not growing and you are just coasting along; chances are your Business is slowing down or it may mean it is careening downhill. It may be a good time to take a fresh look at your business with the help of a Business Coach.

The results from a  good Business Coaching relationship is far greater than 1 + 1. Spending regular uninterrupted time with someone else who’s sole purpose is to help you move forward in business and in life results in an explosion of creativity and problem-solving ability. The synergy of two like-minded people working together on a common goal is exponentially greater than a typical meeting of colleagues for the purpose of discussing the same old problems and the same lack of time, resources or talent. Coaching disrupts old ways of thinking and working, restoring a sense of fun to the act of owning and guiding a business. Problems are rooted out and solved while new opportunities have a chance to appear.

Have you have lost your drive and do problems seem to be sucking the energy out of your business? If so, it is time to look for someone that can help you find the answers. This could mean that you just need a Coach to help you find the answers or it may mean that you need a Consultant to come work along side you and your employees to get your company headed in the right direction and back on track.

The choice between a Coach or a Consultant depends on the goals you have. If you are looking to revamp an entire department or process then a consultant is what you need. If you are just looking to increase performance/sales or need help solving issues and getting the most out of yourself and your staff then a coach might be just what you need.

Are You Helping Your Local Economy? Try the 3/50 Project.

The 3/50 Project is a grass-roots campaign created by a woman named Cinda Baxter in Minneapolis. The goal is to encourage you, our consumers, to pick three of your favorite local, independent businesses and commit to spending $50 per month at each store. 

For every $100 spent in locally owned, independent stores, $68 returns to your community through taxes, payroll, etc. If you spend that much in a national chain, only $43 stays local. If spent online, nothing stays local.

If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned inidependent businesses, more than $25 million in revenue would be generated in a city the size of Overland Park. Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed population did that.

ToBizNet can help transform your business into an efficient and effective marketing machine.

We can show you how to get more business from the customers you already have and give you access to a multitude of like-minded noncompeting businesses and their customers in your backyard.

Giving you previously unheard of marketing power!

To find out more visit http://leawood.tobiznet.com/benefits.php or http://overlandpark.tobiznet.com/benefits.php

YouTube Your Business With Online Video

Online video advertising and marketing is experiencing rapid growth with the popularity of YouTube. Take your small business marketing to the next level with online video ads.

We live in a visual-rich society. Before we even began to understand text and reading at a young age, our exposure to TV and other visual media begins it’s imprinting our brains. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth ten thousand more.

Join the YouTube Online Video Revolution!

The advertising vehicle of television commercials has largely been out of reach and beyond affordability for the bulk of small business owners. The tipping point to affordable TV-like advertising changed with the development of the high-speed broadband network and the rise of YouTube.

Created in early 2005, YouTube is a video sharing website allowing members to upload, share, and comment on a large database of videos. In one month alone, YouTube had a staggering 2.4 billion page views.

Online video is hot. Kelsey Group's research revealed that 59 percent of survey respondents watch online video. Emarketer estimates online video ad spending to reach over $700 million this year.

Who’s Using Online Video Marketing?

SignWareHouse.com’s YouTube videos are less than entertaining but practical for those wanting a video demonstration of products such as Q-Series Vinyl Cutters. Any product leading itself to demos is a good candidate for online videos.

Skateboard retailer, Willy’s Workshop owned by pro skater Willy Santos in San Diego uses a simple in-store video on YouTube introducing his staff and providing a tour of the premises. Although the online video received 7,000 views which pales in comparison to Blendtec’s results, it still helped build the stores brand to a select target of skateboard enthusiasts.

Blendtec, a small business based in Orem, Utah budgeted under $100 for a quirky video showing their commercial blender pulverizing iPods, golf balls and other everyday items. The funny viral videos were a big hit; driving millions of viewers to the Will It Blend website. Wall Street Journal reporter Laura Lorber wrote how Blendtec sales were up 43% in 2006 alone.

To harness the power of online video marketing and advertising for your small business, keep in mind the following tips:

Online Video Production Tips

Entertainment Rules: To create a viral online video marketing campaign, it must be entertaining. Take a lesson from the Will It Blend playbook and find a way to make your product, service, or company entertaining or humorous for maximum reach and market penetration.

Be Professional: Nothing can quickly turn off your target audience as a poor quality, slow loading video. No need to rent an expensive studio to create a top-notch online video. Incorporate basic stock photography and video clips from sites such as Getty Images.You can also enlist the help of video production services for easier and cost effective production and distribution such as SpotRunner who charges $500 for a 30 second ad.

Stay Focused: An online video isn’t meant to convey your entire product line or multiple features. Hone in on one key message with the strongest lead benefit. SignWarehouse.com uses one video to demonstrate one product. A simple clip is more likely to be viewed in its entirety for today’s distraction driven viewers.

Broaden Your Reach: YouTube isn’t the only site to submit your video production to. New competitors have emerged including Google Video or Blinkx, a video search engine with over 18 million hours of video. Another tool introduced by the company allows advertisers to place targeted text ads in any video embedded in a website.

Online video advertising and marketing is here to stay. Don't get left behind join the YouTube video revolution today.

Internet Referral Marketing Will Make A Difference

If you have not done much marketing on the Internet, it’s time to get on board. There’s not a huge investment, and if you are consistent it will help grow your business. If you are invested in building your business, your business will be growing not slowing! If you are an owner or officer of your company don't forget about a linked in profile!

1) Get a Website

A professional and user-friendly website does not have to cost thousands of dollars, but it can. While most of our clients have a website and a blog site, some just have a blog. It functions as their primary website. This is totally acceptable. If you chose to go with a custom website that is not a blog, be sure that your web design company has experience and results with search engine marketing. If your site is not built to be search engine friendly, it will be slow to move up the Google rankings, where potential clients can see it. In fact, it may stay stagnant on page 10 for eternity. SEO is very important.

2) Get a Blog and Post Regularly

 Blogs through Blogger are inherently SEO friendly since Google is their parent company. If your website is a blog, then you don’t have to have a separate blog. Without a blog, you limit your potential for ranking high on Google’s SERPs (search engine results pages). You see, a blog is considered news by Google, so it gets priority over traditional website pages. Additionally, every blog entry is archived by category and date, so over time, the blog site accumulates a huge library of dental articles. This is also great for search engine optimization (the things Google looks at when indexing websites). Your blog should have original content posted weekly, at a minimum. Posting daily will yield better results and posting regularly lets your clients know that you care about your business. In the blog posts, be sure to include links from keywords to related information on your main website or other blog posts. The original content in your blogs, the number of blogs, and the links in your blogs factor in to your Google SERP placement. Make sure that your blog and your website are linked and have the same logos. It is also important to make sure the names are related. If you website is http://http://leawood.tobiznet.com then your blog should be http://leawoodtobiznet.blogspot.com/

3)      Get a Newsletter

Specifically, you should get a Newsletter that looks professional and is distributed quarterly, at minimum. Start by sending your newsletter to your client’s emails. Also, add an opt-in form on your website and blog so that interested people can subscribe. In the newsletter’s text, include links to your website and blog. Each newsletter should have interesting, timely information about your company, products/services, clients, and community involvement, if applicable. The idea here is to keep your products and services in sight of your clients. 

4)      Get a Business Facebook Page

Again name this the same as your company and use the same logos you used on your website and blog. This brands you so people know who they are dealing with. Make sure you link all of your sites together so potential clients can wind their way through your companies web. The longer a potential client stays on your sites the chance of them becoming a paying client is increased.

5)      Become a Member of a ToBizNet Network

When a network of non-competing businesses starts working together to help each other, the results can be amazing. We have seen business owners more than double their businesses in less than six months when they use the system and catch the ToBizNet vision. As your network grows, you and your fellow business members continue adding promotions, coupons, and rewards for others to take advantage of.

People will start to tell one another about your ToBizNet marketing efforts. One person tells another and that person tells another and soon, clients will be attracted to your company. Now your marketing power is multiplied. As you get to know other businesses in your network and they get to know you, they begin passing referrals.
Sending and tracking referrals is quick and easy with ToBizNet’s referral tracking system. Referrals don’t come just from other businesses. If you have an effective referral rewards program, you’ll also begin getting referrals from the clients or customers of other businesses as well as your own.

When you put it all together you will have more clients and will have lowered your cost of getting and retaining your clients. If you are interested on learning more about ToBizNet contact me @ 913-735-5614.

KC Backpack for Kids @ Auntie M Gifts.com Clients Making a Difference!

 

Did you know that there are 101,000 Kansas City area children that are on free or reduced lunch programs at school? Many of those same kids have little or no food available to them on weekends. The reality for thousands of children is to face a long weekend with little or nothing to eat.

These kids are more focused on their hunger than on their studies, causing them to fall behind while suffering lower grades than their well fed peers. Auntie M's mission is to reach out to local communities by providing another tool to raise money to support these kids. All the profits are donated—so, let's join hands together and do what is necessary to keep these kids on the right track; with food, better grades and a brighter future!

Auntie M Gifts is asking you to support KC Backpack for Kids—food program by purchasing a case of candles. Doing so will support up to eight hungry kids for a month. As a business you can utilize these candles to build rapport with clients, build moral with your employees or, for personal use.

Auntie M Gifts went to help at The Church of the Resurrection-Leawood, KS, January 13th, 2011. Marissa & Jerry Dudley, Jr., along with Ross Polete, girl scouts, and students, volunteer to fill just over 1100 backpacks, to feed children in need for this weekend. This is done every week from September thru May. Auntie M Gifts is on a mission to help this church and others feed more children in need. If you would like to find out how you can help or if you need to fund your own organization contact Jerry at Auntie M Gifts.com.

Business Coach vs Business Consultant

There is a good analogy that illustrates the difference between a small business coach and a consultant A business coach will help you understand how and why you ride a bicycle, help you to determine what's holding you back from riding properly, and jog along next to you as YOU ride. A business consultant will explain why one bike is superior to another, teach you how to ride the bike, and if necessary, ride the bike for you. Which one is best for you is based on your needs and values, as well your time constraints and deadlines. 

I often work in "hybrid" mode, as a coach and a consultant. This means that I offer you the best of both coaching and consulting: Advice and expertise when you need it. New business and marketing skills to keep you sharp. Motivation and brainstorming when you're stuck. Insight to build you and your business to your highest potential.

Are you doing business on purpose or are you like most and just hoping business happens? A FREE consultation may show you the bottleneck that is keeping you from taking your business to the next level. I offer a highly effective solution for finding new customers while increasing the profitability of your existing clients. Learn how to track your referrals with our exclusive tracking system and network with non-competing businesses working together to help each other, the results are simply amazing! 

The bottom line is learning to put more money in your pocket. Whether it is over the phone or in person, I will run or jog along with you at the pace you wish to work. Together we can make a difference! Call 913-735-5612 and set up your no obligation FREE consultation today.