August 28, 2007, Vol 1, Issue 20

When we read an article discussing the newly released New Business Intelligence Study from Pearlfinders, we were secretly (okay, not that secretly) thrilled with the results.

The results of the client and agency survey showed, among other things, that:

1. 93% of decision-makers said that if they noticed a lack of strategic thinking that this would cause a review
2. 85% of clients don’t feel agencies prepare enough for new business
3. 75% said they wouldn’t respond to an approach if there was a lack of understanding about their business
4. 61% of clients thought most agencies have not done research on their company before approaching them
5. Clients want agencies to be more proactive
6. etc., etc., etc.

You can see where we’re going here. Research rocks.

Looking smart.

Clearly, you don’t have time to read everything about your industry or your client’s industry. And while you may not be an expert in real life, you can always play one on TV.

Check out Valuation Resources. First, you identify the appropriate industry sector:

* Agriculture and Fishing
* Forestry
* Mining & Construction
* Manufacturing
* Transportation
* Warehousing
* Communications
* Utilities
* Wholesalers
* Retailers
* Finance and Insurance
* Real Estate
* Personal Services
* Business Services

From there, you can drill down more deeply and find links to information for Industry Overview, Issues, Trends, and Outlook, Industry Financial Information and Financial Ratios, Compensation and Salary Surveys, Business Valuation Resources and more.

Not every category is chock full of information, but this is a great starting point for learning an industry. You’ll be in expert in no time!

Intermission.

Let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby….

YouMail is an incredibly sweet service that lets you record individualized voicemail greetings for people who call your cell phone. At. No. Charge. None. Nada. Zip.

You can have different greetings for all your callers, it’s simple to set up, and they have a library of fun and professional greetings if you can’t think of anything totally original to say. Be fun with your friends, sweet to your sweetie, and professional with your boss.

You can get your voicemails online – just point, click, and play.

They even have DitchMail for those pesky callers – you can set it so that when they call, they’ll hear the greeting, but they will NOT be able to leave a message. (Don’t worry. We won’t do that to you!)

Quickie.

Want a quick way to see what a company has been doing and how it wants to present itself to the world?

Read their annual report.

At Report Gallery, there are thousands of free online reports to see. Sure there are reports on company websites. Sometimes. But here, you can check out several – or entire categories of companies – at one time.

Not a bad strategy to start learning the market.

Stump the Researcher.

A loyal reader asks: I have a young staff. I would love to find something to reward and motivate them. But all the incentive programs I know about are, shall I say, stodgy?

Some are, that’s true. But check this out.

And submit your own question – send an email!
Click here for the answer. It’ll just take a minute.

The moral of the story is, do your homework. Knowledge is power. A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. The ball is in your court. It’s the survival of the fittest. And all that.

Research is important. (You’re not surprised we think that!) Call if we can help. Because, well, we’re here to help. It’s what we do. It’s what we LIVE for.

See you in two weeks!