I had a conversation last week with a former networking partner who recently joined Zero Odor to raise product awareness and boost sales.  He inquired what I knew about QR codes, and asked how he could use them at Zero Odor. Here are a few of the ideas I was firing at him, some of which might help you in your business:

1. Drive General Traffic 
Place a QR Code on your printed pieces that links to your website and save your customers from having to remember a long URL.

Companies often mistakenly think that their brand is only their logo, but a brand is much, much more. Consider it this way:  are you defined only by the color of your hair? No, you have much more depth, and so does your brand. A brand is a collection of perceptions, and its up to you to define those perceptions so that your company is memorable and favorable in customers eyes, when they are ready to make a purchasing decision.

Here are some of the ingredients that should comprise your brand:

In May 2010, DesignWorksNY made the transition from a “bricks and mortar” office to a virtual office. When asked by clients where our office is located, and I answer, “we have no headquarters -- we all work remotely, we’re a virtual company,” I am often met with confusion. The term “virtual office” was first used in 1983 in an airline magazine article about portable computing.* The term is often mistakenly confused with “office business centers” or “executive suites,” which require a lease.

A few weeks ago I attended the Business Council of Westchester’s Breakfast Dialogues, facilitated by Laura Winterroth of TD Consulting Group. The topic was “Active Listening” and it was very eye- (or should I say ear-) opening. I want to give credit to Ms. Winterroth because this blog post contains information gathered from that event, sprinkled with my comments.

Shocking stats about listening:

Last week, as I was driving along the Taconic Motor Speedway, I mean Parkway, I noticed beautiful wildflowers along the side of the road, and wistfully lamented that summer had finally come to a close. But as I gazed at the flowers, I thought, “I’ll bet some people probably think those are weeds.”  I have been accused (yes) on many occasions of seeing the “glass half full”, and I think that irritates those “glass half empty” folks. But I think my optimism has contributed to the success of my business and I’ll tell you why:

Did you ever see that horrible poster that proclaims “Everything I know in life I learned from my cat?” Let’s give credit where [real] credit is due: I learned a heck of a lot from my mother, and it all applies to the business world in some way or another. Here’s six “Momisms” from our family that I use in business every day.

Take something up as you go.

Often times when I confess to blogging, I am met with (and I am paraphrasing) “I don’t blog. What do I have to say that others would be interested in hearing?” Here are SEVEN reasons WHY you should be blogging (and what you should be blogging about.)

When people hesitate "using up" their marketing budget for marketing purposes (but isn't that what it's for?), I always urge them to at least keep visible. Why? When your marketing initiatives diminish, your visibility does too. When your visibility diminishes, you are no longer top of mind and your customers will forget you. Ouch. Consumers are fickle – they will buy from whom they had a positive experience from, OR whomever else (neutral) comes to mind at the decision-making point.

Earlier this week I spoke at a KeyBank Key4Women Lunchbox Series event, held at Graziella’s Restaurant, in White Plains, New York. I have attended many of these luncheons in the past, and have always been impressed by the strong, entrepreneurial women in attendance and the wisdom of the presenters. For this event, KeyBank chose to donate part of the event admission to Girls Inc, which provides programs and advocacy that empower girls to reach their full potential and inspires them to be strong, smart and bold.

I was listening to the brilliant Suze Ormand on the radio a few weeks ago, and she noted that most people today are living paycheck-to-paycheck, day-to-day. But, she says, despite the poor economy, with proper planning (and discipline) that could be avoided.

The same principal applies to marketing your business: you either put out fires, operating your business day-to-day, or you think long-term and plan for growth. Let me paint a picture: in the “put out fires” mode, your day might look like this: