(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

I subscribe to a service that reporters, who write for national newspapers and magazines use, to find quotable sources for stories. One such inquiry was the genesis for this post. The reporter was looking for stories on how the economic climate was forcing businesses to alter their business models.

How were businesses reducing prices and using other profit cutting measures to bring in  customers? I thought it was important to hit this erroneous way of doing business head on, before businesses begin to accept it as a normal recession marketing tactic.

The Customer’s Are Still Out There

The first point I want to cover is the myth that the customer is cowering in a corner of their basement, terrified to emerge and spend any money. That the only way to nudge them into the purchasing sunlight is to entice them with bargains and giveaways. A bargain is only a bargain, when it’s a bargain for everyone involved in the sale. A retailer gets a good buy on widgets and passes it on to his customers. But, as he is passing those savings on, the customer is informed that this is the exception, not the rule.

In the past 102 business quarters, personal expenditures were negative in only three of those quarters. In case you are not clear on this timeframe – that’s over 20 years. Or to put it another way – in the past 7,300 days customer spending was negative in only 270 days. Customers are out there and they are still buying products and services.

Sticky Pricing

You may have heard the term in the news recently. It means that higher prices “stick” around to help the business owner recoup some of the losses from things like higher gas prices which inflated prices to a higher level than he or she could pass on to their customers. As the price of gas comes down the shelf prices at your local store will come down more slowly than they went up.

What Happened to Quality and Service?

Owenhouse Ace Hardware has been in business in Bozeman for over 125 years. They started before electricity, or the automobile, or air travel. They have survived a depression, nine recessions, 10 wars, plus countless employees and managers over the years. Yet if you ask almost any local citizen, “Who has the best customer service in Bozeman?”— More than likely you will hear the Owenhouse name.

So I suppose, that when times get tough, after all their hard work of providing, not only quality service, but quality products as well, they should just put the whole store on sale and dilute both their brand name and their products. Why not go all the way. Just change the name to “Owenhouse Discount Hardware?”

Buying the Business Is Just Plain Lazy

When times are good and the cash is rolling in business owners just let the economic current carry them along. But sooner or later rapids appear and you have to do some actual rowing and maneuvering around the rocks and hazards that are fast approaching.

It would have helped if you had paddled all along. Gained some experience in how the boat handles in all types of water. Businesses should always be operating as if the doors where ready to close and the For Lease signs were going up. The time to learn marketing and advertising is when you don’t have to. Those are the tactics that will see you through the tough times, not buying the business with sales and gimmicks.

How long are you going to operate that way?

There is a term in business called “positioning.” It means that if I mention a product a company or brand name will pop into your head. For example, if I said soup you might say Campbell’s. If I said computer, you might say IBM. The customers of a business have a perception, in their mind, as to what your business is, and how it operates.

If you suddenly change messages in midstream, it sends a confusing message to your customers. Now, they have no idea who you are. When times improve are you going to change back to the old way of doing business? What are your customers supposed to think then? “What happened to all the sales and low prices?”

Every minute of every day someone needs your products or services. And the price of that product or service is way down the list of concerns they have. They are more interested in, “How soon can you heal my pain?” “Solve my problem?” “Make things right again?” Those are the customers you should be cultivating and nurturing in your business. Why not make it a point to “NOT” participate, if and when, recessions arrive?

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

With the unemployment rate being what it is, a lot of people these days are being forced to work for minimum wage. But exactly how much you get could depend largely on what state you’re in.

The federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 per hour, but since it’s not a mandate, not all states pay that rate, while others pay more.

Raising a state’s minimum wage is often left to voters. For example, Missouri residents will decide later this year whether to bump workers’ pay from $7.25 to $8.25 per hour, and the measure would also require tipped employees to receive at least 60 percent of that rate, a 10 percent increase over the current standard.

Some restaurant owners are unhappy about the proposal, which would of course cost them more money, and other opponents say raising a state’s minimum wage can cause businesses to hire fewer employees, which would especially hurt younger workers — something that’s hotly contested by many economists.

So where are minimum wages highest and lowest?

States with highest minimum wage

1. Washington — $9.04
2. Oregon — $8.80
3. Vermont — $8.46
4. (tie) Nevada, Connecticut, Illinois — $8.25

States with lowest minimum wage

1. Wyoming — $5.15
2. Minnesota — between $5.25 and $6.15, depending on the annual revenues of a business
3. Georgia — $5.15
4. Arkansas — $6.25 (as long as the business has at least four employees)

[ABC News]

(Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

No, I didn’t make a mistake in my title. My question is what, not “who,” are you going to vote for? In past elections voters selected people to speak for them. Now they vote based on the level of gifts to expect from their candidate of choice. And unfortunately the candidates are all too happy to accommodate today’s selfish voter regardless of the impact on city, state or nation.

What About Platforms and Positions?

In today’s election cycles platforms and positions are used to couch the free stuff. After all, a candidate can’t just come right out and say I’m going to gut Medicare or raise your taxes. Position statements today are attack your opponent with factual or un-factual information. Whichever sounds better gets the, “I approved this message,” seal of approval. It’s not like anyone will actually look up the actual information. Isn’t it much easier to re-post it on Facebook or Twitter? So what if it stretches the truth a little?

Beauty Contests and Fashion Shows

There are tough choices facing the voters in November. So what are the top issues of the day? The economy? Unemployment? National Debt? The effect of the European Elections? No, those pale by comparison to, gay marriage, Obama’s Hollywood fundraising party, and Romney’s car elevator. Great news organizations of the past used to report actual news. Today it’s hard to tell the New York Times from the National Enquirer.

In the last election more printer’s ink was used to talk about Sara Palin’s wardrobe, and who paid for it, than any issue of substance. John McCain made the front pages because he wasn’t sure how many houses he had. Not to mention the president’s birth certificate or school transcripts.

Product Marketing vs. Candidate Marketing

It never ceases to amaze me how little business spends to reach a customer who is going to give up cash, yet political marketing still operates like it’s the 1940’s. Put Apple’s marketing team in charge and they could get “SpongeBob SquarePants” elected on half the budget it will take to elect either Obama or Romney.

Apple apparently knows something that political campaign managers do not. People don’t buy products and people don’t elect candidates. People buy how the product makes them feel. People elect candidates for the same reason. Issues are a smoke screen. Voters make up their mind based on looks, personality, envy, and a dozen other emotional reasons that have nothing to do with the issues. Then they use issues to create a logical reason to vote for their bozo. If issues were really important you would not see half the electorate giving candidates a pass on their past records of dismal performance.

Congress has an approval rating of less than 15%. Eighty-five percent of voters think they suck yet continue to send them back. Why? Because of how the candidate makes them feel. Congress SUCKS! … Oh, but not OUR guys.

Ok, so they get drunk and wreak boats or vote in the worst health care bill ever. We still love them and we’ll put up the yard signs, make calls for them, pass out expensive four-color crap about what stand up people they are and when the smoke finally clears and the mirrors are removed, nothing has changed except we’re stuck for four to six more years of the same. And the saddest thing of all — we feel so good about our guy or gal winning.

Some Final Thoughts

Anyone remember the battle between Obama and Clinton three years ago? They were ready to change the convention rules to get Obama in. “He makes people feel good sweetie — you don’t.” “How about Secretary of State instead?”

I think there should be a federal law that every ballot, in every election, across the county, has to include, “NONE OF THE ABOVE,” as an additional choice in each race. Then we might eventually find some people who are serious about tackling the important issues of the day. Regardless of where they put the dog when traveling.

So, What are you voting for??

myfuturedotcom, Flickr

Many of us do our banking via ATM or other electronic means, but how would you feel if actual in-person tellers didn’t exist? A few banks are testing out new systems with the possible goal of making that idea a reality.

In an effort to reduce waiting time for customers and free up employees to sell profitable products like loans and mortgages, some banks are installing touch screens and self-serve kiosks that would allow people to conduct standard banking business as well as cash checks, buy money orders and get cash in unusual denominations — tasks typically reserved exclusively for tellers.

Bank of America is even trying out video teller machines with screens that would give customers access to employees located in a centralized call center who can remotely authorize transactions, review check images and dole out cash. North Carolina’s Coastal Federal Credit Union, which has already switched to such a system, has seen its costs drop by 40 percent.

Willard Ross, chief retail officer for the credit union, said product sales have nearly doubled in the branches and added, “Branch managers don’t have to worry about manning the teller operations anymore, so they can be totally focused on the members who walk in.”

[The Wall Street Journal]

kat sommers, flickr

Unfortunately, a memo requiring you to work on Saturday may not be the only thing on your desk making you sick.

A new study by the University of Arizona says eating lunch at your desk can actually put you at risk of developing a food-borne illness.

According to their report, the average office desktop has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more than the average toilet seat. The reason? It’s likely due to our mindset that we should keep our bathrooms and kitchens clean, yet we seem to neglect the cleanliness of out workspaces.

Eighty-three percent of Americans regularly eat at their desks, according to a survey conducted by the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Supply Safety program.

“With fears of a double-dip recession, more people are bringing their lunches to work instead of eating out,” says Joan Salge Blake, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “No matter how busy you may be, keep in mind that it’s just as important to practice the same food safety tips while eating at your desk as you would in your kitchen.”

The good news is there are steps you can take to avoid getting ill from chowing down at your desk, including keeping your workspace clean, placing food in a refrigerator, re-heat food appropriately if using a microwave and wash your hands.

[Men's Fitness]

There is nearly 50 advisory boards and with a member of the city commission having to be a part of them, they take on about 8 boards each.

Listen to what Jeff had to say.

Jeff Krauss Pt 1

Jeff Krauss Pt 2

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Here’s the good news: Americans have better credit scores now than we have in the past few years. But there’s bad news, too: credit standards are now so high that it may not matter much.

FICO scores range from 300 to 850, and are typically affected by paying your bills on time, not applying for new credit lines and keeping your existing balances low.

Research from Fair Isaac Corporation, the company behind your FICO score, indicates the percentage of people with excellent credit scores is the best it’s been in four years, while the number of Americans with lousy scores has fallen to pre-recession levels.

Although it’s encouraging that consumers seem to be spending more responsibly, the problem is that there are still a lot of people stuck in a sort of “no man’s land” of credit — their scores aren’t terrible, but they also aren’t top-notch. And since the criteria for getting the cheapest credit has risen so much since the economy took a nosedive, those folks are often saddled with higher interest rates.

Many borrowers now require a FICO score of 720 or more for the best rates on a credit line. While many people now have scores exceeding 800, the number of people with credit scores between 700 and 749 has fallen to about 16 percent — a historic low.

[Time]

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

As part of an effort to fight obesity, Darebin Council in northern Melbourne, Australia, is considering a “fat tax” which would impose whopping rate increases on fast food giants like McDonald’s and KFC.

Obesity is a significant problem in Australia, with six in 10 adults and one in four children considered overweight. This new tax would penalize fast food restaurants with rate increases up to a staggering 400 percent.

According to the council, extra money generated from the tax would be spent on health promotion programs to battle obesity as well as related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.

Darebin councilor Gaetano Greco said the tax is meant to promote good health and reduce the number of fast food joints. “Councils have the responsibility of looking after the health and well-being of their community,” he said. “Here we are, looking at an extra tool that council can use to limit or control the spread of fast-food chain outlets.”

Not surprisingly, fast food companies aren’t thrilled with the idea. A KFC spokesman said consumers should be able to choose what they eat for themselves. “For our part, we believe in informed choice and provide our customers with detailed nutritional information so they can make sensible dietary decisions for themselves and their families,” he said.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said the fat tax would have a pronounced effect on all fast food restaurants in the area, many of which — including the golden arches — are owned and operated by local people.

[news.com.au]

Thinkstock

Sleepwalking might seem like an isolated phenomena that only few people suffer from, but it may be more common that previously thought — especially among those who take sleep aids.

A sleep study conducted by the Stanford University Sleep Epidemiology Research Center and published in the journal Neurology polled 16,000 adults across 15 states on their sleepwalking history. Thirty percent of the subjects reported an incident of sleepwalking in childhood or adolescence, while 3.6 percent claimed to have sleepwalked at least once the previous year. Thirty percent of children sleepwalk at some point in their lives.

It works out to about 8.5 million adults who sleepwalk. People on medicines like antidepressants are more likely to sleepwalk, too. Those on medication tend to sleepwalk twice as often as those who are not. Ironically, enough, those taking over-the-counter sleeping pills tend to sleepwalk at a rate of almost three times more.

Surprisingly, there was no discernible link between prescription sleep aids and sleepwalking in this study. Other studies have previously shown a link. The fact that fewer people take prescribed sleeping pills and more take over-the-counter could account for the difference in sleepwalking.

[WebMD]

(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A portion of my work history included personnel manager/management trainer for a ten-store retail chain in San Diego. Interviewing hundreds of potential employees, and working with many management trainees, I found I had to come to grips with a very important fact. Most of them were not going to have my dedication or work ethic.

For most, this was their first job. They were latchkey kids, raised on TV by loving parents who thought they were raising responsible kids, who were actually spoiled brats away from the loving gaze of mom and dad. In fact most had no work ethic at all.

Just making change was a mathematical impossibility for many without a calculator or cash register doing the work. It was always refreshing to get that one diamond in the rough that you just knew was going to be a success in life. But unfortunately they were few and far between.

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.” – David Bly, American politician (1952- )

Growing up in the family business in Illinois I got to witness the work ethic of my mother and father up close and personal. Unlike most kids whose parents went off to work someplace they never saw, my folks walked across the driveway and into our business.

My parents owned a floral and landscaping business and a small farm, all on the same property. We grew almost all of our own flowers, plants, trees and shrubs. My father even carved out a section of our farm for one of the few baseball diamonds in town. Little league baseball had come to small town USA and he built his own version of “Field of Dreams,” long before the movie of the same name. And yes, corn surrounded it, or soybeans each spring, but sadly no lights, ghosts or paying customers.  Just neighborhood kids that loved to play baseball.

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King, American novelist (1947- )

The other tough lesson was discovering that I had to teach “manners” and common courtesy to employees. “Yes, Ma’am” and “Yes, Sir,” not “Yeah” or “OK.” My parents taught me the importance of good customer service. Being “kind and courteous” at all times, and even more so, if the customer was having a tough day.  Complaints could usually be resolved; poor service couldn’t.

In addition, few employees realized that their poor attitude not only reflected poorly on the business, but also on them personally. Even the best employees often needed a “refresher course” in positive work ethics.

“The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day.” – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player (1961- )

I never left home in the morning without a couple of employment applications in my pocket. Every so often I would come across someone in my travels that really “got it.” They understood the sales, marketing, and customer service process. I was like a baseball scout always looking to improve the team. Finding that next superstar for the other employees to emulate. And I had no qualms about stealing them from another business.

“A bad hair day is not a valid excuse for calling in sick.” ― Tadahiko Nagao

I guess I was lucky. I didn’t have to supervise people who had access to 500 channels, video games, cell phones, texting, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. I’m not even sure today’s employee could even find time to work keeping up with all the electronic competition. However, it seems that whenever the pendulum swings too far in one direction someone always finds a way to swing it back. So maybe we are on our way back to a more positive work ethic in this country. Got some shopping to do today — hope I have correct change.

What’s your opinion? How can we restore America’s work ethic?

Twitter

How do you top Time’s cover featuring a mother breastfeeding her fully-grown child? Call Obama “gay” and give him a rainbow-colored halo.

Fresh off his groundbreaking decree that he supports gay marriage, which trumped Joe Biden’s earlier pro-gay union statement, Barack Obama now graces the cover of Newsweek to promote Andrew Sullivan’s profile piece titled, “The First Gay President.”

Newsweek first released the controversial image on the morning of Mother’s Day via Twitter. There was no doubt it was their way of saying, “We see your breastfeeding, and we raise you a rainbow halo.”

The issue doesn’t hit newsstands until May 21st, but it’s already causing quite the commotion. So far, there’s no official response from The White House, but here are just a few of the responses from Twitter.

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

What do you think?

Source: TheFW.com

Carl Pt 1

Carl Pt 2

What happened was the Tennessee middle school assistant football coach, age 26, was fired for a song he wrote and played! Some folks say It’s the best effort yet at encapsulating the outrage at the oversteps of this government in an entertaining song. Apparently, the guy was fired over the song because some parents complained.

What would you do if that really happened to you? Would you go after the big house and car, give tons to charity, stiff your brother-in-law, or just blow it all having an amazing year?

What does “Luck” have to do with it anyway?

Luck. Being in the right place at the right time? Or, are some people just luckier than others? Take the case of Bob Jaracz. During the Korean War, Bob’s plane was shot down — he survived. Lucky. But, he was captured by North Koreans and spent time as a POW. Not Lucky. But, he escaped, lucky again.

In 2005, Bob won $1.1 million in the New Hampshire Megabucks game. Lucky again. For most people, that would be more than enough luck, but not for Bob. In 2009 he won again. This time he won $1,000 a week for 20 years. That’s what I’d call job security.

Do the Numbers Matter?

Our lives are filled with numbers. Do they have special powers? Do certain numbers come up more often than others? Should you pick quick picks or pick your numbers and stick with them? If your numbers never win should you keep playing the same ones over and over?

Darren Morgan and Graham Muir from Dalkeith, Scotland played the same numbers in every lottery for five years and never won anything. So, they decided to pick new numbers and guess what? They won. Not with their new numbers but their old ones. Even though they played new numbers they could not give up the old ones. Can you imagine if they had not played the old ones too?

What about taxes and payouts?

Most large lottery jackpots give you the option of a lump sum payout, usually half the winning amount, or payments, usually over a 20-25 year period. Which is the better option?

Most money managers agree that taking the payments is the smarter decision. Lump sum payments have huge tax consequences right away and can also cause estate taxes down the road. With payments, it’s possible, in some states, to pass the payments on to heirs in case of death.

The other primary reason most people favor payments is discipline in handling money. Many lottery winners who have never had money blow through it in a matter of a few months and end up with astronomical debts and eventual bankruptcy. Learning to handle money over time will give the winners a better chance of adapting their lives to more success over time.

Some Final Thoughts

I must confess that I am an infrequent lottery player. I have won $300 twice in my lottery life. I have won $2 to $5 numerous times. So I guess you could consider me a lottery winner too.  Many refer to the Lottery as the poor man’s retirement plan. But gambling or not, it’s fun to imagine sticking your ticket in that little red machine and seeing, “Winner! Please See Cashier.”

It is extremely important to fill it out right or it will not count. In the envelope you will get a Democratic and a Republican ballot. Make sure you only fill out ONE of them and send it back to be counted.

I was not aware that if you selected individuals on each ballot they both are ineligible and nothing counts.

Charlotte Mills, the Clerk and Recorder for Gallatin County estimates the people in her office have stuffed and sent out over 22,000 absentee ballots for the upcoming primary election.

All ballots need to be received at the elections office by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5th or they will not count. Absentee ballots can be physically brought into the office or mailed in, but ballots postmarked June 5th will not be counted unless they arrive by 8 p.m. that day.

The school counselors take care of making sure the kids get food.

My daughter Shelby who is a Sophomore in Belgrade and a Key Club Member, said

the pantry is about giving kids something to eat when they don’t have access to free or reduced school lunches.

According to school records, there are currently 143 high school students receiving free lunches. Seventy-one students receive reduced price lunches and 579 students pay the full $2.50 for a school lunch.

The best items to donate are quick-and-easy meals on the go. To kick start the pantry, the club hosted an 80s-themed dance on May 11 in the school’s gym. The entry fee for the dance was a few cans of food. The goal is to raise food and awareness for the pantry.

If you would like to donate items to the food pantry, simply drop them off at the front office in the High School with a note that says Key Club.

He also mentioned he didn’t think the Battalion Chiefs were needed as requested in the budget as well as a few other things. Listen to Jeff’s interview below.

Jeff Krauss Pt 1

Jeff Krauss Pt 2

Below is Mike’s interview with me on the morning show.

Mike Wick Pt 1

Mike Wick Pt 2

Don’t you think a judge should be on the high court. I do.

Check out Judge McKinnon’s website here. And listen to her interview below.

Judge McKinnon Pt 1

Judge McKinnon Pt 2

Judge McKinnon Pt 3

TLC

Losing a loved one is never easy. Some of us would pay top dollar to get back a child, a significant other, or a best friend that left us too soon. But what about a dog?

Money is no issue for Edgar and Nina Otto who lost their 11-year-old Golden Labrador, Sir Lancelot, to cancer four years ago. So, how much did the Ottos shell out? $155,000!

This isn’t the first time someone’s doled out serious dough to bring the dead back to life — Anderson Cooper once interviewed a woman who spent $50,000 to bring back her dog. In some states, you could buy a house or houses with that kind of cash the Ottos coughed up.

If you think laying down a house’s worth of greenbacks is excessive, you should know the Ottos have saved the cremains of several pets that have passed. Sir Lancelot just happened to win the cloning lottery because he was missed the most.

Sounds like the makings of a game show — ‘Which Deceased Pet Will Be Cloned?,’ coming to TLC soon!

Source: TheFW.com