EramInternational.com

Archive for February, 2011

A firm offering high quality strategic marketing consulting services can be hard to find. With Duluth, GA based strategic marketing consultancy The Experts Bench, however, you can count on a package that is complete and integrated.

This highly reputable provider of strategic marketing consulting services has established itself as the industry innovator in bringing marketing staffing programs to leading corporations. Matching marketing strategy with interim marketing expertise, The Experts Bench is known for its unparalleled expertise in program management, research and analytics, brand management, marketing communications, promotions and events marketing, and web-based marketing.

Taking into account the differing needs of different clients, this highly-reputed provider of strategic marketing consulting services offers its clients several different packages:

Project-based consultancy: This option involves marketing experts with specific functional and industry expertise. Such projects are billed on an hourly and project basis.

Remote experts: This option involves the use of expert marketing consultants who would conduct some or all of their work offsite.

Expert specialists: This option involves the use of professionals within R&D, finance, packaging, and change management who specialise in supporting marketing programs. The billing for such projects is done on an hourly or project basis.

Best practices consulting: This package involves experts skilled in best practices auditing and is conducted by recognised experts in the field. It is billed as a deliverable.

Onsite managed programs: These are managed programs involving full responsibility for managing ongoing business requirements and can include management and staff. Such programs are conducted on a contractual basis.

All these packages are well thought-out and designed and contain a comprehensive blueprint for the evolution and regeneration of your marketing strategy.

The onset of the recession makes it crucial for businesses to review their marketing strategies and adapt them to suit these turbulent times. However, by focusing on execution without revisiting strategy, they risk making investments go backwards.

This is where a top-quality strategic marketing consulting firm like The Experts Bench comes in. As your business partner, The Experts Bench will help your company revisit and redefine your strategy to conform to the demands of a dynamic business environment.

For example, the experts working for this reputed strategic marketing consulting firm will help you review your marketing communication practices in light of exponential changes in online and social networking for B2B.

At The Experts Bench, our goals have remained consistent, but we are observing a more dynamic relationship between strategy, execution, and performance measurement across our social marketing efforts. To help you understand and navigate such an environment, you need a strategic marketing consulting firm that’s always two steps ahead. You need The Experts Bench.

For more information on a superior strategic marketing consulting firm, visit TheExpertsBench.

Trading Your Briefcase For An Ice Cream Scoop

Youre excited about buying a franchise, taking the plunge, ready to trade your briefcase for an ice cream scoop. The companys told you its the opportunity of a lifetime, given an impressive tour of their headquarters and taken you to a couple of their operating outlets. When the day ended, they presented their FDD or Franchise Disclosure Document. The representative told you to read it and the contract couldnt be signed for at least 14 days. Who do you use and what’s it going to cost to review your FDD?

Using A Lawyer Or An Accountant?
Glancing through the document, the first thing you notice is its very dry and technical just the thing to read if youre having trouble getting to sleep at night. You notice something in bold print on the cover page about showing it to a lawyer or an accountant. Certainly theres a big difference between a lawyer and an accountant you note. Why would the government say you could use either one? Since the investment in this franchise is a bit north of 0,000 you wisely decide an attorney makes a lot more sense than an accountant. But lawyers and franchise attorneys are expensive and what kind should you use?

In the above hypothetical the good news is the franchise investor is on track to use an attorney to review the FDD. Franchise Disclosure Documents are complicated, often running into hundreds of pages, with many tables that only reference sections of the complex and verbose franchise contract containing boilerplate that bites. The tables reference these sections, but don’t go into any of the details about the biting process. Its absolutely essential to use not only an attorney, but a “franchise attorney” to review these FDDs. The bad news is many franchise investors shy away from paying for independent advice. I consulted with a couple after-the-fact who invested over million in a horrible franchise. Before investing all of their worth in this franchise, they failed to invest even one dollar in a legal or business review-analysis.

Why Use A Franchise Attorney?
Based on my review of over 500 FDDs, Ive learned a lot. Perhaps the most important lesson is when it comes to franchise agreements, you dont get what you deserve or even whats fair you get what you negotiate. Ive noticed a disturbing trend that franchise companies, especially new ones, are including very unfair provisions in their franchise contracts. As long as the applicable contract sections are disclosed in the relevant tables contained in the FDD, theyve fulfilled their legal disclosure obligations. But, if you dont see these flashing red lights and sign up, you’ll be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Thats a franchise attorneys function to see the flashing red lights that you dont even notice. Dont forget, a franchise is a long term legal and financial commitment usually 10 to 20 years minimum. There’s the franchise contract and the commercial real estate lease, the initial investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars AND the cash reserves needed to hopefully reach the break even point – which can be years down the road in many cases. Its suicidal to spend what often amounts to a significant amount of ones net worth, and taping into the rest over a 10 to 20 year period without seeing what youre jumping into. Look before you leap into a big, dark hole.

Cost To Use A Franchise Attorney
So what does it cost to have a franchise attorney review an FDD? A ,000 to ,000 up front retainer (meaning pay this now, plus more later on) applied against hourly rates of 0 to 0 per hour is par for the course these days. Thats not unreasonable, given the magnitude of just the initial franchise investment and the 10 to 20 year legal and financial commitments that will end up being a large multiple of the initial investment amount. But is there is any other competent, franchise attorney review options?

FDD Evaluator
Over the past 29 years, Ive reviewed a lot of FDDs (formerly called UFOC’s). I also owned and operated a franchise myself, so I know how to detect the good, the bad and the ugly in franchising. Franchise Foundations has developed a unique review program called FDD Evaluator (sm). A flat fee of 0 covers a review of the FDD and gives a thumbs up or down on the franchise. The review also includes disclosing any red flags or unfair contractual provisions discovered. Assuming you decide to move forward at that point, you can either negotiate the unfair provisions yourself which many clients do successfully or you can retain someone for that specific task.

Negotiation of Franchise Contracts
Contrary to what many franchise companies say, there is a lot of negotiation possible, especially with unfair contract provisions and even more so with new or small-to-medium size franchise companies. Now, if youre dealing with a McDonalds or other blue chip franchise company, forget about franchise negotiations. But you can also forget about unfair contract provisions theyre well beyond that. Remember to safeguard your franchise investment by using a competent franchise attorney.

Copyright 2008-2009, Kevin B. Murphy

For more information about FDD Evaluator click here

To contact a Franchise Attorney click here

The competition for career employment through Government agencies is quite competitive but the hiring process is never ending and people from all walks of life can work for the Government if the meet the minimum qualifications. Some people are provided hiring preferences because they served in the military, but even with that special consideration for career employment, they will still have to undergo the same Government application and hiring process that other applicants endure.

Those that are disabled are given special hiring preferences and are hired almost instantly if the application moves through the right channels. Many Government rosters will require applicants to relocate and there never seems to be that many people who are looking for careers that are willing to do that. Those types of Government positions have been vacate for some time and when an applicant agrees to those conditions, the hiring process can be shortened considerably.

In order to gain career employment through Government agencies, most job vacancies will require applicants to have certain skills. Some applicants naturally assume that they will be hired just because they are a veteran but are disappointed to learn that they are not qualified for the position they seek. Government agencies have stringent hiring practices but also fair ones. Everyone is equal in the Government eyes but the Government still wants to hire the best person for the job.

People can search for career employment in Government jobs on the Federal, State and local Government levels. The hiring process for each of these levels is controlled and requires applicants to actively compete for the positions. Some careers in Government service may be offered on a part-time basis but will still earn people the right to Government benefits such as medical, dental and life insurance coverage. These benefits will often transfer to civilian life when the person retires from Government service and on to a spouse, or dependents when the retiree passes away.

The Government will offer other job enhancements to the civil service sector once a career employment position has been secured. Many Government agencies will provide educational opportunities throughout the year to those that want to take advantage of the schooling. Some of the courses offered by the Government will be pre-requisites for competing for higher positions in Government. Advancement through the ranks of civil service is not automatic and qualifications are checked every step of the way so it pays to keep all information current and factual because Government agencies have the resources available to check it.

The career employment opportunities available through Government agencies are plentiful and applicants can expect to take many tests during the hiring process. An applicant should be thoroughly familiar with the operating systems on computers and extremely fluent on all applications that are loaded on it. Updating resumes on all positions applied for will make applicants more desirable. The job openings for Government agencies can be reviewed at any State Employment Office and applications for qualified applicants can be kept on file for up to a year before they will have to be resubmitted.