What does it take to succeed in a job interview? Put on a nice suit, take some breath mints, and make sure the tie matches the shirt?

These are difficult economic times. Fewer and fewer companies are hiring new candidates, choosing to invest in experience over youth (if they are investing at all). In this tide of economic depression, good grades, strong extracurricular activities, and an excellent school record may not be enough to land you that fancy position at that prestigious law firm.

Enter the job interview.

If there’s one place you can stand out on your resume and show your potential employer where you shine, give them one more reason to hire you over the others, it’s the job interview. The job interview is all about making an impression, and we’ll tell you how to make the right one both rounds:

The selection interview

The screening interview is the first round of screening when your prospective employer tries to see if you, the candidate, match their credentials. Depending on your law school, there may be a lottery system to sign up for a screening interview. In this lottery system, you can’t get rejected outright based on your resume, so it’s possible that even mediocre students with weak resumes will get their 15 minutes with a recruiter, and maybe impress you enough for a senior interview. callback.

Advice: If you don’t win a scheduled appointment with a firm of your choice, persistence—for example, a call to the law firm—should get you a spot.

Do your homework

Before the big day, do your homework. Research the law firm: their practice, track record, and if possible, the attorney you will be speaking with. You can usually get all of this information in the hospitality room (or in the waiting room, if you prefer) or on the company’s website.

Learn as much as possible about the type of work the company does. Interviewers are usually happy to see that a candidate has shown interest in their company. Also, it will help to check what you’re talking about: your interviewer won’t be happy to hear you talk over and over again about an area the company doesn’t cover.

Also, consult the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) form at the private office of the firm at which you are interviewing. Branch offices of many firms have different statistics than headquarters, especially when it comes to practice areas and attorney demographics. Your professional services office should also have some helpful materials, such as employer reviews from previous years.

And don’t forget about your classmates and alumni. Talk to those people who have worked at your target company. This will give you a real view of the company: its practice, area of ​​expertise, history, work environment, and even the less desirable aspects.

get dressed

Your suit alone won’t get you the job, but it never hurts to dress professionally. While employers may indicate that students can come to the interview in business casual attire, they really want to see you dressed in a suit, just like a real lawyer would in a courtroom. Also, clothing preferences can vary from interviewer to interviewer, and therefore your best bet is a classic suit, preferably in a neutral color like charcoal or brown.

Carry your documents in a leather portfolio, don’t strut around carrying them in your hand.

And don’t forget to bring extra copies of your resume and transcripts.

sell yourself

Usually you have 20 minutes with the interviewer. Most of the time, the interviewer has already decided if he should be invited to the company to be called back, based on his resume, transcript, etc. before you’ve even entered the room. If his resume and transcripts are stacked against him (low grades, no extracurricular activities), there’s little he can do to salvage the interview. However, for borderline candidates, a good show can really increase your chances of getting a call back.

As cliché as it sounds, try to be yourself. Remember that the interviewer has probably seen hundreds of candidates. He can see through whatever facade he has built to fit his perceived image of what the company wants.

Fight the temptation to only talk about law-related topics. If your interviewer seems interested in opera, you’re better off talking about Pavarotti than his work at the law review. Keep in mind that the interview is designed to assess his personality, not his understanding of the law; their transcripts are proof enough of that.

Be flexible

So you walk into the interview room, fully prepared to answer anything that’s thrown at you. You sit, back straight to the interviewer, flipping through your responses in your head, smiling confidently.

But then the interviewer leans back in his chair and asks, “So what do you want to know about this law firm?”

And suddenly, all those written answers fall apart and you mutter a response.

Don’t let this happen to you. Interviewers tend to start with random, off-topic questions. In such a scenario, prepare to give a 3-5 minute narrative by answering the question (or asking questions) and gradually turning the topic of discussion towards yourself: who are you and what interests you at the law firm.

Try and incorporate items that interest you into your narrative: a particular question that scared you in a mock trial, an article you’re writing for the law magazine, your 1L summer internship. He can use the same story, but present a different version each time. He will keep you from sounding scripted.

But most importantly, learn to answer the interviewer’s questions in such a way that your response meshes with their narrative.

Be aware of the location

You’ll have signatures from all over the country coming to your law school for the job interview. This can cause a problem if, for example, you have lived in New York all your life and your target company is based in Los Angeles. It will be difficult for you to convince the interviewer about his sudden desire to move to Los Angeles.

Remember that companies are investing in you. They will train and prepare you during the first year. They want to be sure that you will stay the course and not leave them halfway. If you’ve lived in New York your entire life, a company will be (rightly) skeptical of your decision to stay in Los Angeles to work for them.

Deal with this problem by visiting the city where your target company is located. Arrange a meeting with them. A casual meeting will make it sound like you’re genuinely interested in moving to their town to work for them, factors that will go a long way toward strengthening your resume when it comes to the interview.

It shouldn’t seem like you just signed up to be interviewed by every company that visited your campus. When the inevitable question, “Why did you sign up to interview here?” appears, be prepared with an arsenal of company- and location-specific comments to make your interview seem more genuine.

Smile

So you hate your professor, your classmates are all idiots, and the cafeteria on campus never has good coffee.

Excellent. But don’t tell the interviewer.

The interviewer does not want brutal honesty from you. They would much rather hear you describe that insightful professor or that wonderful course you took last fall. Interviewers are very wary of any hint of negativity and can and will cling to it, severely hurting your chances of getting a job (and this goes for any job, not just a law firm; a negative attitude can be a dead giveaway). big detour).

Smile and talk about your great experience during your 1L summer internship, the clever discussions after the mock trial with your classmates. Show them a happy face and they might show you your interview date so they call you back.

Many people dream of having their own business. They focus on the benefits they could enjoy, including the freedom to choose the hours, the pride of ownership, and hopefully big profits.

Unfortunately, according to Innovation, Science and Economic Development in Canada, up to 97% of new businesses with fewer than a hundred employees fail within the first year of operation. Only 85% survive three years and 70% five years. Approximately 7,000 business bankruptcies occur in a year.

Even those who have years of college training and professional licenses can struggle if they don’t have a good business sense. From the outside it might look like psychologists, dentists, lawyers, doctors and accountants have done it! The truth is that your fees do not go directly into your personal savings accounts.

If you think the costs of professional services and expertise are too high, consider the following:

1. Credentials – In addition to registration fees, books, and living expenses over the many years of college study, many internships and supervised practice situations are unpaid. Getting a degree scroll and a practice license doesn’t just represent success. They also trigger the payment of what can be many thousands of dollars in student loans.

2. Annual Dues: Every year I pay almost $3,000 to my regulators and insurance agent for license and professional liability coverage.

3. Facilities and Equipment – Those who start a practice not only need to have office space but also furniture and equipment appropriate for their trade.

4. Staffing: Look into your doctor’s office the next time you have an appointment. How many families are receiving income from the doctor? Do they get paid if the doctor is on vacation or in training? How much does the professional pay on your behalf for labor benefits?

5. Supervision: The more staff, the more time is needed for mentoring, meetings, and system work.

6. Monthly Expenses – In addition to interest on business loans, office rent or mortgage payments, and staff salaries, there are utility bills, office supplies, cleaning costs, and technology costs to run the business. office.

7. Professional Development – ​​Most licensing agencies require a set number of training hours each year to ensure the professional has cutting-edge skills and knowledge.

8. Bookkeeping: Income tax filing costs and government program requirements must be completed by an expert who is usually charged by the hour. Some professionals also have to wait for payments from businesses or chase the check when clients don’t pay cash. It doesn’t take long for accounts receivable to pile up.

9. Taxes and Benefits – Unlike employees, professionals do not have paid sick leave, vacation time, or sick time. If they don’t work, they have no income. However, they still have to pay personal and income taxes.

10. Paperwork: Often what could be billable hours are spent on paperwork, administration, or other unpaid tasks.

11. Time – Don’t be disappointed. Starting and operating a business takes a long time. Most successful entrepreneurs put in long hours, many of which are never seen by the public. When you see someone on the golf course in the afternoon, you may not realize that the same professional was in the office until midnight the night before.

12. Responsibility: You are responsible for ensuring that all work performed by you and your staff provides ethical and appropriate services to the public. When there is a problem, it is you who has to solve it.

Over the years, I have worked in government, retail, and private practice, and therefore know that no matter what career you choose, there are pros and cons. If you want to open a business, consider the above so as not to be naive and vulnerable.

When you access the services of a professional, look around you and remember that the person in front of you is only getting a fraction of the fee they are charging. The rest goes to business expenses.

Services marketing has incurred an explosive amount of academic research in the last 20 years, yet since 1986 there has been no debate about the notion that services are distinct from products and therefore deserve special focus. , a set of concepts and a body of knowledge. (Brown, Fisk, and Bitner, 1994). This essay will explain the distinctive features of service marketing, giving examples where possible. It will start by defining service marketing and providing some basic insight into its divergence from product marketing. You will then examine the four characteristics of services and end with an explanation of the additional P’s found in the services marketing mix.

In the last century there has been a great change in marketing thinking; evolving from a vision dominated by goods, in which tangible production and discrete transactions were the focus, to a vision dominated by services, in which intangibility, exchange processes and relationships are central (Vargo & Lusch , 2004). Vargo and Lusch define services as the application of specialized skills (knowledge and skills) through events, processes and actions for the benefit of another entity or the entity itself. Four idiosyncratic characteristics of services will now be given, highlighting why service marketing is different from commodity marketing.

Arguably the most distinctive feature of services is their intangibility. Services are defined in (Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler, 2006) as “facts, processes and actions”. None of these are physical items that a client can appropriate, although during a service the physical evidence will be evident in the form of things like the medicine the doctors prescribe, the photo you took on the roller coaster, or the food. on your plate in a restaurant. This invisibility creates a number of problems for marketers. First, there is no stock, which makes it difficult to manage supply and demand. Second, the services cannot be displayed or shown to customers, making it difficult for marketers to advertise the quality of the service. And finally, because services don’t physically exist, it’s hard to patent them, making it easy for other companies to copy your service.

Another notable aspect of the products is that, on average, they stay the same. If you buy a Ford Focus here in Australia and then buy the same model in America, chances are they’ll both be exactly the same. The services are different because they are heterogeneous, which means that they differ with each use. For example, a wildlife tour will never be the same twice, not only because of the random and unpredictable nature of the animals, but the guide may be in a different mood, the weather will have changed, and there will be different clients each time. These factors make it difficult to consistently deliver quality service, which is important for marketers because customers will have a particular set of expectations in mind, based primarily on what was promoted in the service and previous industry experiences. in particular.

Another distinctive feature of services is the fact that they are produced and consumed at the same time, unlike products where customers do not see how the product is made. A good metaphor for this is being in the theater. Consumers can be likened to an audience, where they watch actors (employees) perform on stage (physical location like a commercial store) among props (physical objects like chairs, tables, flowerpots, etc.). The actors are ‘live’ and performing (producing) at the same time that the audience watches (consumes). This brings us to the concept of interactive marketing. In a service, operational staff carry out much of the marketing function (Klassen, Russell, & Chrisman, 1998), and marketing specialists handle advertising and promotion.

The final distinction that differentiates services from products is their perishable nature. While some products deteriorate very quickly (such as water balloons), services simply cannot be stored, saved, resold, or returned. The main concern for marketers would be the procedure for when things don’t go as planned. Customers can’t just return the service and ask for another; it is up to the service provider to offer the customer some kind of compensation. If passengers are forced to wait a long time for their flight, employees might provide free coffee and snacks while they wait, in an attempt to make up for their poor service.

With product marketing, the marketing mix includes the four Ps; product, price, place and promotion. The services use the same elements plus three more to help explain their unique nature.

First are the people, who comprise everyone who influences buyer perceptions, including the buyer himself. Customers have an active role in production and can therefore influence the outcome of their own service or the service of others. For example, a large family with screaming children interrupting a romantic dinner of young couples in a restaurant.

Every person is important to the salesperson, no matter how small their role. Consider an IT professional who installs computers in people’s homes. During that installation, the buyer can form an opinion of the service provider as a whole based solely on the performance of the IT professionals. Sometimes a person is the sole provider of services, for example a dentist or a lawyer, making his performance and appearance critical to a high perceived quality of service.

The sixth ‘P’ is the physical evidence, which is the environment in which the service is provided and where the company and the client interact (Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler, 2006). It also includes any physical object that helps in the provision of the service. (Lehtinen & Lehtinen, 1991) define it as the environment and its instruments. With some services, customers may find it difficult to judge the quality of the service, especially with trusted services such as financial advisors or legal advice. It is crucial that marketers address consumer fears regarding risk before, during, and after the use of credit services (Keh & Sun, 2008). Since the customer does not have the knowledge or experience to judge the actual service, they instead turn their attention to other things, including physical evidence of service quality. This would usually come in the form of a professional looking workspace, however it would vary with each service provider. For example, in a doctor’s office, cleanliness would be expected.

Finally, there is the service process, including the procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities by which the service is delivered (Zeithaml, Bitner, & Gremler, 2006). When purchasing a service, customers often have a set of expectations about the service process, and when these are not met, the perceived quality of the service decreases. For example, in whitewater rafting, a customer might be dissatisfied if, when he arrived, he was told he had to get the raft up the river first. The process is important because people are involved in it, unlike products, where the process is behind doors.

Services account for at least 70% of the nation’s total GDP for at least 5 countries, including the UK and Australia, making them a hot topic not only for marketers, but also for anyone competing in the business world. Services are distinguished from products by four characteristics; intangibility, they are heterogeneous, there is simultaneous production and consumption, and their perishability. Marketing services differs from product marketing in that an additional three P’s are added to the original marketing mix; people, physical evidence and process.

Do you consider doing your Master’s programs online? Did you know that you can start from an associate’s degree to a master’s degree? These are all very great opportunities for you to move up the corporate ladder, if you want something good for your life. There are many online master’s degree courses that you can take to further your career.

You can earn a bachelor’s degree online, a bachelor’s degree in life experience, a master’s degree in education, a master’s degree in nursing, an online law degree, and a Ph.D. Distance learning courses will help you discover many benefits over conventional university or college programs. You can study from the comfort of your home, at work or on vacation.

There are various online degree-granting institutions or universities around the world. Some of the recognized schools are University of California, University of Phoenix, DeVry University, University of Liverpool, University of London External Program, ITT Technical Institute etc. ITT Technical Institute offers online engineering degrees, online computing degrees, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and other related technical programs.

Some distance learning universities offer accelerated programs such as associate degree courses, bachelor’s degrees, and graduate degrees. If you have a bachelor’s degree, you can go on to a master’s degree and then a doctorate. All this can be done online.

Lastly, before registering to study master’s programs online, be sure to do your research to find out whether or not the college or university you are applying to study at is fully accredited. Qualifications obtained from accredited institutions are well recognized throughout the world.

It was a cold and cloudy day in November, Detectives Sloan and Falimoso were driving south on Elmwood and were trying to locate the victim of an armed robbery that the two “strong” detectives had solved with the arrest of Cornelius “Red”. “Williams, a rather notorious thug from the 19th District who was responsible for at least several murders and numerous armed robberies.

Detectives made the arrest based on information provided by one of their many “inside information sources.” In this case, the arrest of “Red” Williams was facilitated by information provided by an “associate of the 19th Squad”, Earl Wilson. Count had provided the skilled and resourceful detectives with information on a number of violent and vicious criminals who are now guests of the state at one of its seventeen excellent correctional facilities.

As is often the case, victims of street robberies are sometimes difficult to locate as the preliminary hearing for the accused approaches. Such is the circumstance in which Sloan and Falimoso find themselves. The victim of the armed robbery had left the confines of the 19th precinct and headed for parts unknown.

Detectives in adjoining precincts knew the victim and were on the lookout, however to no avail.

“Red” Williams’ preliminary hearing was set for next week, and Sloan and Falimoso still had no victims. As usual, Detective Rich Falimoso had a plan to solve that little problem. Sloan and Falimoso were well acquainted with an old drunk, “Look Down Larry”, who made the 9-0-5 liquor store at Sherman and Pine his headquarters.

Unable to locate the victim, Sloan and Falimoso went to the 9-0-5 liquor store and made a deal with “Look Down Larry”, who came up with the nickname because he ALWAYS looked down. No one could remember “Look Down” ever looking at someone above the knee, let alone looking someone in the eye.

The deal was that tomorrow, the day of “Red” Williams’ preliminary hearing before Judge “Cactus Jack” Murphy, “Look Down” would accompany the Detectives downtown. All he had to do was sit in court for a few minutes and after the preliminary hearing on “Red” Williams was over, the two detectives would take “Look Down” back to the liquor store, buy him a case of beer and they would give him twenty dollars. -five scoots for his trouble. “Look Down” was a pretty good sport and amicably accepted the deal. As an added incentive, “Look Down” got to pick the beer brand.

The next morning, Sloan and Falimoso picked up “Look Down” in front of the liquor store and transported him to “Cactus Jack” Murphy’s courtroom. Entering the courtroom, the defendant in this case, “Red” Williams, who was seated at the defense table with his attorney, Howlin’ Ray Nixon, turned to watch Sloan and Falimoso bringing in a “victim.” and an evidence envelope containing a brown wallet that was taken from the actual victim in this case.

“Red” and Howlin’ Ray were having a rather lively conversation and “Red” was pointing at the two detectives and “Look down.”

The assistant prosecutor acknowledged Sloan and Falimoso with a nod and informed “Cactus Jack” that the state was ready to proceed.

After a short rest, Howlin’ Ray asked to come to the bench. Howlin’ Ray stated that since the victim was ready to testify and the evidence was close at hand, his client wished to plead guilty. After careful consideration, Judge “Cactus Jack” Murphy accepted the guilty plea and the defendant, Cornelius “Red” Williams, was remanded to the circuit court level for sentencing.

Sloan and Falimoso once again nodded to the assistant prosecutor and walked out of the courtroom with “Look down, Larry” and the evidence envelope.

True to his word, “Look Down” was transported back to the liquor store, given twenty-five dollars and a case of beer, “Look Down’s” fine-fermented hop choice was Budweiser Select. “Look down,” he said, “any time.”

Detectives Sloan and Falimoso returned to the 19th Precinct Squad and surveyed the mountain of cases facing them. Tomorrow is another day and the two street-smart and street-smart detectives would be back on the job doing everything they can to keep the citizens of the 19th precinct safe and secure.

“God bless you guys”

Men often wonder, “WHY are women sometimes attracted to us and sometimes NOT?” A simple breakdown, several generalizations will be made for simplicity: ATTRACTION boils down to Polarity and Compatibility. P&C are the two raw ingredients.

Polarity, in a nutshell: When a man feels very masculine (quiet, strong, powerful, determined, assertive, etc.) and a woman feels feminine (playful, giggly, bubbly, sensitive, open, etc.) there is an arc. of energy that forms between man and woman. “Attraction” or “polarity”, whatever you want to call it. (This energy is very similar to magnets). Keep in mind that this will happen to any man and woman, even if they are complete strangers.

That’s why women can walk through a construction site, and even though they wouldn’t like a relationship with construction workers, they can’t help but feel SOMETHING. If the workers are being very masculine while the girls walking by are feeling very feminine, the attraction will be there, even if they have no real desire to act on it. That is why it has been said that “attraction is not a choice”. When a man is being very masculine with a very feminine woman, whether she likes it or not, she will feel a certain polarity with him. How women choose to act or not act comes down to compatibility, or what are known as “complementary opposites,” according to the Yin and Yang archetypes.

The woman going through that construction site may be a lawyer, and as such, may not have any desire to act on her attraction, because despite the physical attraction (polarity), she knows that they will not be compatible or get along. . She is interested in what lawyers want: fame, money, power, prestige, etc. whereas he may be interested in simpler things like getting high and playing video games every weekend. So they may feel a certain polarity for each other, but realistically, things probably wouldn’t work out between them. He is on a different ‘vibrational frequency’ than she is, and they both know it. He doesn’t have the sophistication or education to be anything more than a comforter to her.

Now let’s say you drive past the construction site and pass a reiki center. Another very masculine guy is outside, doing reiki energy sessions with someone. He is in a very masculine state, he is in charge, taking the lead, and perhaps holding someone in his hands and shooting reiki energy into them. The lawyer walks by, and they both feel the polarity, the physical attraction, but still have no real desire to act because the reiki healer is so far ahead of the lawyers’ consciousness. She is interested in power, while he is interested in higher things like energy, heart, meditation, etc.

(Of course I am generalizing, I am certainly NOT saying that ‘all lawyers are power hungry’ and ‘all construction workers are uneducated’, nor am I saying that ‘all women are feminine’).

Again, they may feel the polarity, but they probably won’t act on it because they live on a different “vibration.”

frequency’, they live in different worlds, different levels of consciousness, different beliefs and values.

Lesson: Attraction Comes Down to Consciousness Polarity and Compatibility

many blessings,

Stephane Hemon

Honestly, is there an internal customer? The term “Internal Customer” has been so overused that it has become a cliché, losing its original meaning. The term Internal Customer was originally used in the field of Management Science (MS). However, it was later popularized by Joseph Juran, the management consultant known for his dedication to quality management in companies, especially factories.

The initial use of the term Internal Customers was intended to refer to ‘users’. This user refers to the people who will use the production of another department or unit. This is how the term internal and external customer was born. External customer refers to customers/consumers outside the company who are users of the company’s product/services and internal customer refers to the user of the product/services of another department/unit. The use was purely for technical differentiation.

However, the term was later expanded to reflect management styles, teamwork, interdepartmental communication, etc. The extension went beyond the technical relationships between departments and individuals in the company (known as hard areas) to include the soft areas of attitude, experience, teamwork, etc. This is when you’ll find bosses promoting teamwork by asking employees to view and treat another department as their own customer. What seems shocking is that even trainers and consultants preach this gospel when they themselves cannot treat their receptionist or account clerk as a customer.

The thing is, first we have to be really honest with ourselves and answer this question: “Can I see and treat the account department or the purchasing department, marketing, IT, technical support, as our own customer?” And that means you work to bring your best to the other department, take all their bullshit, and reassure yourself by saying with a smile, “Oh, well…they’re my clients after all.”

The problem lies in the word – Client. The very word suggests to our mind that it is a business transaction, money, and that direct monetary benefit will arise from this transaction. These things are not as apparent when dealing with another department (at least not as directly as with actual customers). So why are we swimming against the current to beat our team into accepting the other colleagues as customers? Let’s face the fact…it’s not going to happen. The other department may be your internal customer from Juran’s management science point of view. But they are definitely not customers from the point of view of our daily interaction and operation. The Internal Customer is a Myth.

The answer is Partner. Instead of beating the staff into accepting the internal customer idea (which tickles your brain every time you hear it); Why not use a term that our psychology and consciousness would accept? Partner is a much more acceptable term.

In sales and customer service we talk about maturing the seller-buyer relationship. This consumer to partner maturation process begins from a Consumer to a Customer to a Customer and then to a Partner. When a person buys something from us through a third party or an intermediary, they are consumers for us. When they buy from us, they become our customers. A client refers to a relationship in which the seller acts as an advisor. This could be when the product or service requires guidance or follow-up. Such examples would be as a lawyer, wellness centers, fitness instructors, and to some extent even real estate agents. The third stage is called the Partner. This is when the buyer and seller have formed a powerful bond that is bound together by trust, transparency, mutual respect, and interest in each other’s success. We are talking about a powerful relationship that is productive for both of you.

The situation with a work team is that by default they are in a partnership situation. Systems, processes and daily activities are focused on a partnership-like relationship rather than a customer relationship. So why would we want to ‘de-mature’ (if that term makes us understand) that relationship to a customer-supplier relationship? Taking a client situation, he would probably call one of his clients Mr. Goldwin or Ms. Johnson in previous meetings. But in a partnership relationship, you would conveniently refer to them by their first name. Wouldn’t it look weird if a person who calls someone Tim all the time one day calls him Mr. Goldwin?

While I’m not saying you’ll call your colleagues by their last name in an internal customer situation; the weirdness of treating a colleague as a ‘customer’ is as absurd as that. So the best alternative would be to motivate the team to accept each other as partners. This can be accomplished by building trust in the team, practicing a sense of openness at the leadership level, making everyone on the team feel special for their contribution, and showing how their personal successes depend on the successes of the team. Team members are not internal customers but partners. Let’s be honest with ourselves.

Every business needs marketing, therefore every business should have a marketing plan. In Part I: Need Marketing, We recognized that marketing is a significant expense for any business, and we emphasized that without a marketing plan, a business essentially leaves its ability to grow and prosper to chance. For companies that are unwilling or unable to commit resources to building an in-house marketing infrastructure, a viable alternative is to outsource their marketing. It’s not as scary, or expensive, as one might think. For starters, know what you’re dealing with.

Marketing is a process, not a result

Understanding that marketing is a process is critical to accepting that marketing is not simply an expense that affects the bottom line. It is necessary; It is NOT a necessary evil. As the director of marketing for a large consumer products company, he was responsible for, among other things, sales forecasting, pricing, trade promotions, trade shows, new product development, market research, advertising, catalogs, and other materials. sales, sample distribution/fulfillment, package design, and trade incentive/rebate programs. He was in charge of “The Brand” and managing how all the components of the brand worked together to enable the company to achieve the forecast: the sales revenue projection.

A small business may not have all of the aforementioned components in place, but should at least have an annual sales revenue goal. It is the marketing plan that determines how the various marketing components will be combined to enable the company to achieve the forecast. That requires research, modeling, estimation, and a bit of guesswork, and if done right, it’s not a job that can simply be relegated to someone who doesn’t have enough to do. Marketing professionals understand this. They understand that trying to go to market without a marketing plan is like trying to hit a piñata, or in other words, like trying to hit a moving target in the dark.

ask around

If you don’t know who to call, ask your peers and associates to recommend a marketing contractor, or contact your local chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). Before contacting any referrals, visit their websites to get an idea of ​​what they do and how they do it, not to mention how they present themselves. Look for information that will give you an idea that the company will be a good fit for you and your team.

Interview potential contractors similar to how you would interview a potential employee. What is your process? What are your expectations? Why would your company benefit from working with them? Explain succinctly what their needs are and be prepared to tell them candidly what your budget is. If they are good, they will interview you for the same reasons. (I meet with potential clients sometimes up to three times before deciding if they are a good fit for us.)

When it comes to the cost of marketing, what many people don’t understand is that the revenue forecast determines the budget. Just pulling a number out of thin air because that’s what you’re willing to spend on marketing is crazy. Most marketers know, for example, that the smaller the business, the higher the percentage of revenue spent on marketing. A business that generates less than $5 million in annual revenue will typically spend 7-8% of revenue, while a business that exceeds $100 million will spend 1-3%. That varies by industry and, more importantly, what the goals of the company are. If a company seeks rapid and substantial growth, for example, the percentage could be as high as 20%. If your company has annual revenue of $5 million, are you spending between $350,000 and $400,000 on marketing? If you want to double your revenue in the next two years (over 40% annual growth), are you prepared to spend $1 million this year and $1.4 million next year on marketing?

So before you sit down with any potential marketing services contractor, consider a realistic amount you can spend, then let the contractor detail what they can do for you with that amount, as well as whether they think that amount is right to help you meet your revenue goals. It’s also important to determine if you want the contractor to simply develop a plan for you or to also be involved in executing the plan versus other services and deliverables.

Now that we’re at the point of contacting potential contractors, let’s consider some of the variables that will affect the cost of the services the contractor will provide. Part III: What do I need vs. What can I pay? It will help you build your wish list and give you an idea of ​​what to expect for what you can spend.

Management courses have become the rage today, but the characterization of the best MBA schools in India falls heavily in favor of the government institutes. Government MBA m colleges across India produce the best management graduates and boast of which government colleges will provide the best return on investment. Students face a number of dilemmas when choosing their university as IIMs are quite expensive in terms of tuition fees and IITs that offer MBAs are often rated below 100% great placements.

MBA courses are quite modern and fancy in terms of money, though they will add a great spin on everyone’s career chart. It remains to be decided as to the IIM. Either way, one has to find the middle ground between some parameters.

The best return on investment that a B-School offers can be measured primarily in terms of the quality and quantity of investments that are made primarily on campus. With the management institute developing rapidly across the country, one in two organizations cheat one hundred percent of the placements. Although government MBA universities are very prestigious and sought after, the best ones can easily be separated from those that are a bit behind in terms of ‘return on investment’.

Here are the best government institutes for MBAs with the best return on investment.

1. Indian Institute of Management located in Ahmedabad

IIM-A is one of the oldest government run universities in India, just after IIM-C. It has been enjoying accurate service in terms of being ranked as the number one business school in India. There are very few institutes as good as IIM-A in terms of return on investment. The institute is included in the list of best management colleges in the Asia-Pacific region.

2. College of Management Studies University of Delhi. FMS located in New Delhi

This institute is one of the oldest MBA institutes in India and moreover, FMS Delhi is hands down the best option in terms of ‘return on investment’. Unlike the high fee that IIMs charge, FMS charges a very good and humble tuition fee and offers one of the best management courses in the country.

3. National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR)

NALSAR started in the year 1998 under the government of the state of Andhra Pradesh. This is one of those universities that has made its mark when it comes to undergraduate and graduate courses. It is recommended as one of the best universities in India to trust if you are planning to do your MBA in Hyderabad. They have an experienced faculty who come from some of the best universities in India and abroad. The course is modified in order to keep students updated on the curriculum and curriculum. There are various specializations provided in different fields for you to take based on your interest. They offer specializations (interdisciplinary courses) in disciplines of administration, law and accounting. They are offering specializations in Corporate Governance, Innovation and Sustainability Management, and Financial Services and Capital Markets. Students here are selected through CAT, GMAT, and GRE scores. After selection, a group discussion is held to finalize the admissions.

4. Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-B located in Bangalore

Established in the year 1973, IIM-B has been producing the best MBA graduates every year, even when it was established. It is also listed in the list of top management institutes in India.

5. Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-C located in Kolkata

When it comes to Management in Finance, IIM-C enjoys the highest ranking in the world as its finance courses are considered to be one of the best globally. Apart from being the first government management school to be established in India, it has also been a member of the Global Alliance in Management Education (CEMS).

6. Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-L located in Lucknow

IIM-L is generally recognized as an Institution of Excellence by the Ministry of Manpower and Development of India. This institute was the fourth IIM established by the Government of India and provides quality management education.

7. Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-I located in Indore

IIM-I was established in the year 1996 and has maintained the level of its brand since its establishment.

8. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade IIFT located in New Delhi

This independent institute was established to help professionalize India’s foreign trade management policies and increase exports. It has been reputed as one of the amazing government aided institutes for a long time.

9. MDI Management Development Institute located in Gurgaon

MDI Gurgaon Campus has been rated as one of the top ten government MBA institutes in all of India. It was established in the year of 1973 and also has a second campus in West Bengal.

10. Jamnalal Bajaj Institute located in Mumbai

The name of this university is noted after the industrialist and philanthropist, Jamnalal Bajaj, this MBA university belongs to the Department of Management Studies of the University of Bombay. It is widely recognized for its excellent management program.

I hope the above list of Top 10 Government MBA Universities in India has helped you to finalize the right business school where you can study and start your career.

Jobs at Risk of Elimination

According to a recent report from the Brookings Institute, 36 million workers have high-exposure jobs that are in danger of being eliminated by 2030 due to automation. Office and administrative staff, cooks, waiters (or restaurant waiters), hotel clerks, short-haul drivers, most blue-collar workers, and those who work in industry may soon see the 70% of the tasks they perform today have been performed by machines over the years. the next 10 years.

Artificial intelligence, robots, and machines will change the way we do our jobs in every industry in America. From restaurants and hotels to doctor’s offices and law firms, everyone will feel the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution powered by robots and machines.

In fact, a new blueprint for the workplaces of the future has already been drawn up. The workplaces we have grown accustomed to in the past will no longer exist. The new reality is that humans and robots will work side by side as co-workers in the future. Therefore, workers in all industries, regardless of status and position, need to prepare now.

Customer Driven Changes

Consider this as an example. Amazon (which employs more than 100,000 robots in its warehouses) is causing organizations around the world to scramble. They dominate their competition by their response time. They meet the needs of their customers faster than anyone else. Order today and in most cases your package will be delivered anywhere in the world the next day.

This is putting pressure on organizations to revamp and reconsider operating strategies based on customer expectations, and are even demanding faster service. This has caused a whole new work platform shift that is more customer focused. With this new mandate from customers comes the need for the most up-to-date, highly-skilled and flexible workforce ever, hence the need for a new platform model.

Now this is where it gets very interesting, and this is why every American worker must reinvent themselves now. Only 42% of today’s companies rely solely on permanent employees. This means that 58% of companies have already switched to a new workforce ecosystem. This new ecosystem, called the new “open talent economy”, allows companies to hire the best talent (on demand) as temporary workers, contractors and consultants. By following this strategy, companies can recruit from the most up-to-date, highly-qualified and flexible talent pools at all times.

Why upskilling is critical now

With the world of work changing rapidly, today’s workers must act now to update their skills for the future. In the very near future, your co-workers will be robots and machines. So, ask yourself; What skills will I need to do my job in the future? Are there new training classes and courses I need to take? How do I invest in my own talents today to prepare my work for the future?

Conclusion

A new model has been designed for the workplace of the future. The workplaces we knew of in the past will no longer exist. Artificial intelligence, robots, and machines will affect every industry in America, and temporary workers, contractors, and consultants will be the new norm, and robots will increasingly become our co-workers. Therefore, workers must act now to upgrade their skills for the new era of robots and machines.

© 2019 Cubie Davis King. All rights reserved internationally. Illegal to duplicate or use in any way without the express written permission of the author.

Dr. Cubie Davis King, Ph.D., is a talent development specialist and author of the new book Reinvent Yourself Now. His professional toolkit also includes people management training, complex problem solving training, leadership development solutions, employee engagement, succession planning, talent management, talent retention, and human resources law.

Dr. King earned his Ph.D. in Human Performance Training and Improvement, and has led Super Bowl-winning teams in the US Armed Forces, Department of Defense, Xerox Corporation, and Citi Group.

To check his availability for your next conference, please contact Dr. King directly via email @ drcu[email protected] or follow him on his blog http://www.cubieking.com