Attardi Marketing is offering a behavior changing training session for sales professionals at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ:
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sales Pro Solution Selling
An important asset of any company, especially one involved in the distribution of products and services, is its sales force and its ability to solve problems in today’s increasingly diverse and global workplace. The current business environment is changing the makeup of both the workplace and, most certainly, your customer base.
This one-day advanced sales training workshop focuses on assessing the individual strengths and weaknesses we all have and the sales skills necessary to recognize and to solve those nagging problems that are impediments to successful sales closure.
Using a highly successful self-assessment instrument (DISC Model) online, the workshop provides the attendees an understanding of different behavioral styles essential for managing and selling more effectively in a diverse environment. In addition, the objective of the workshop is to develop the necessary sales skills to successfully upsell into a rapidly changing electrical industry with emphasis on the new energy efficient technologies and process selling. To convince today's customers to upgrade to the more technologically advanced products because of bottom line improvement and productivity gains that will be realized. The workshop engages and challenges participants through self-assessments, brief lecturettes, questionnaires, customized case studies and interactive group exercises.
Before the session, all participants will be asked to complete an online assessment:
The Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral Assessment – an analysis of each individual’s behavioral style is used to increase your self-awareness and abilities to develop adaptive styles to meet the demands of your work and customer environments. Here’s what you get:
- You get to take a 15 minute online assessment that will reveal your personal behavioral style
- Your Personal Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral report
- Expert analysis
- Complete binder to continue the learning process on your own
- Continental breakfast and break refreshments and lunch
- Professional Adjunct Professors: Bill Attardi and Mike Protono
Your cost: $350.00 per attendee. The complete one-day agenda and registration available at:
www.attardimarketing.com/salesprosolutionselling or send me an email at wattardi@attardimarketing.com for a group rate.
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Monday, April 25, 2011
News Updates for the Week of April 25
1. UD Collaborating With LG Innotek On Advanced Solar Cell Research - The UD solar institute, a U.S. Department of Energy University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education, recently won a three-year, $780,000 contract from LG Innotek to pursue pioneering research on wide band-gap solar cells, which absorb less sunlight, but produce a higher voltage than solar cells currently on the market. LG Innotek is among the top-10 electronics manufacturers in the world, producing LEDs used in flat-screen TVs, semiconductors for automobile motors, and camera sensors for mobile phones, including Apple's latest iPhone, lighting, among other products. http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2011/feb/solar-cell-research-022411.html
2. DOE Publishes Updated SSL R&D Plan – The DOE has published the March 2011 edition of the Solid-State Lighting (SSL) R&D Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP). The report provides a description of the activities the Department plans to undertake over the next several years to implement its SSL mission, and informs the development of annual SSL R&D funding opportunities. The document reviews SSL technology status and trends for both LEDs and organic OLEDs, and offers an overview of the current DOE SSL R&D project portfolio. Significant updates to the Technology Research and Development Plan include revised efficiency projections, priorities, task descriptions, and metrics to align DOE targets with progress made to date and industry trends. To download a PDF copy of the updated Plan, see www.ssl.energy.gov/techroadmaps.html
3. Housing Starts in U.S. Increased to 549,000 in March, Exceeding Forecasts - A gain in March housing starts failed to make up for ground lost the prior month, as U.S. home builders continue to struggle almost two years into the economic recovery. Work began on 549,000 houses at an annual pace, up 7.2 percent from the prior month and exceeding the 520,000 median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. 4/19 Bloomberg News
4. Existing Home Sales Gain Raises Cautious Hope - Home resales volumes bounced back in March, a hopeful sign for recovery in the housing market, but prices continued to decline. The housing market is struggling to find its footing as a wave of foreclosed properties keeps supply up but prices down. The housing sector led the economy into its worst recession since the 1930s in 2007-2008 and is now lagging recovery in the broader economy. Existing home sales in March rose 3.7 percent from February to an annual rate of 5.10 million units, the National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday. Economists had expected a smaller increase to a 5.0 million-unit pace. 4/20 Reuters
5. Leading Indicators Point to Strengthening Economy - US leading indicators up in March for 9th straight month, but consumers worry about inflation. The Conference Board, a private research group, said U.S. economic growth should strengthen by summer, but cautioned that consumer concerns over rising gas and food prices could drag on the expansion. Its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.4 percent in March. The index, which is a measure of future economic activity, has increased for nine straight months. 4/21 AP
6. Transparent Photovoltaic Cells Turn Windows Into Solar Panels - A new class of transparent photovoltaic cells has been developed that can turn an ordinary windowpane into a solar panel without impeding the passage of visible light, scientists said Tuesday. The cells could one day transform skyscrapers into giant solar collectors, said Richard Lunt, one of the researchers on the project. Previous attempts at transparent solar cells have either failed to achieve high efficiency or blocked too much light to be used in windows. But the new cells, based on organic molecules similar to dyes and pigments, are tailored to absorb only the near-infrared spectrum and have the potential to transform that light into electricity at relatively high efficiency. The largest challenge in developing commercial applications for the new solar cells will be longevity. The cells could be packaged in the middle of double-paned windows, which would provide protection from the elements. But the longevity of the cells would still need to approach the life span of the windows themselves, which would not be replaced for decades. 4/20 NY Times Green
7. University of Hawai'i Community Colleges Selects Johnson Controls to Implement $58 Million Energy Savings Program - University of Hawai'i Community Colleges (UHCC) and Johnson Controls today announced the start of a comprehensive energy efficiency and conservation program projected to save the university more than $58 million in energy and operational savings over the life of the 20-year performance contract. Solar hot water, energy efficient air conditioning and lighting retrofits are among the solutions provided by Johnson Controls. 4/21 PRNewswire
8. Appalachian Power to Launch Energy Efficiency Incentives and Rebate Programs - Appalachian Power, engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power, has announced that it is launching a series of energy efficiency incentive and rebate programs to help West Virginia residential and business customers offset rising electricity costs and become better consumers of energy. The SMART Lighting Program offers customers the opportunity to buy compact-fluorescent light bulbs at reduced prices. The program also offers discounts on other forms of smart lighting. For commercial and industrial customers, the Prescriptive Program is designed to generate energy savings for all commercial and industrial customers through the use of high efficiency lighting, HVAC and motors. 4/21 Datamonitor
9. KU Asks to Expand Energy Efficiency Programs - Kentucky Utilities has asked the state Public Service Commission for permission to expand its energy efficiency programs. If approved, the request would create three new offerings and tweak five existing ones. To learn more about existing energy efficiency programs: www.LGE-KU.com/ee
10. Financial results: Philips, Cree - LED products accounted for 14% of Philips’ lighting sales in the last fiscal year. Meanwhile, shares in Cree and SemiLEDs have been hit by poor recent performance. Packaged LED sales by Philips Lumileds represented 45% of total LED product sales, or around $717 million, for the year ending March 2011. Sales of LED lamps and luminaires accounted for around $876 million. Philips’ lighting sales $10.9 billion in the 12 months representing growth of 6%. The company expects that the global lighting market will grow at a CAGR of 7-9% during 2010-2015. Cree, Inc. has announced revenue of $219.2 million for the quarter ended March 27, 2011. This is 6% down compared to revenue of $234.1 million for the same quarter last year, and a 15% decrease compared to the previous quarter. For its fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 ending June 26, 2011, Cree targets revenue in a range of $225 million to $245 million. 4/20 LEDs Magazine
11. Energy Saving Light Bulbs 'Contain Cancer Causing Chemicals' - Fears have been reignited about the safety of energy saving light bulbs after a group of German scientists warned that they contain cancer causing chemicals. Their report advises that the CFL bulbs should not be left on for extended periods, particularly near someone’s head, as they emit poisonous materials when switched on. Peter Braun, who carried out the tests at the Berlin's Alab Laboratory, said: “For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept as far away as possible from the human environment.” British experts insisted that more research was needed and urged consumers not to panic. Dr. Michelle Bloor, senior lecturer in Environmental Science at Portsmouth University, told the Daily Express: “Further independent studies would need to be undertaken to back up the presented German research.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8462626/Energy-saving-light-bulbs-contain-cancer-causing-chemicals.html
2. DOE Publishes Updated SSL R&D Plan – The DOE has published the March 2011 edition of the Solid-State Lighting (SSL) R&D Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP). The report provides a description of the activities the Department plans to undertake over the next several years to implement its SSL mission, and informs the development of annual SSL R&D funding opportunities. The document reviews SSL technology status and trends for both LEDs and organic OLEDs, and offers an overview of the current DOE SSL R&D project portfolio. Significant updates to the Technology Research and Development Plan include revised efficiency projections, priorities, task descriptions, and metrics to align DOE targets with progress made to date and industry trends. To download a PDF copy of the updated Plan, see www.ssl.energy.gov/techroadmaps.html
3. Housing Starts in U.S. Increased to 549,000 in March, Exceeding Forecasts - A gain in March housing starts failed to make up for ground lost the prior month, as U.S. home builders continue to struggle almost two years into the economic recovery. Work began on 549,000 houses at an annual pace, up 7.2 percent from the prior month and exceeding the 520,000 median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. 4/19 Bloomberg News
4. Existing Home Sales Gain Raises Cautious Hope - Home resales volumes bounced back in March, a hopeful sign for recovery in the housing market, but prices continued to decline. The housing market is struggling to find its footing as a wave of foreclosed properties keeps supply up but prices down. The housing sector led the economy into its worst recession since the 1930s in 2007-2008 and is now lagging recovery in the broader economy. Existing home sales in March rose 3.7 percent from February to an annual rate of 5.10 million units, the National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday. Economists had expected a smaller increase to a 5.0 million-unit pace. 4/20 Reuters
5. Leading Indicators Point to Strengthening Economy - US leading indicators up in March for 9th straight month, but consumers worry about inflation. The Conference Board, a private research group, said U.S. economic growth should strengthen by summer, but cautioned that consumer concerns over rising gas and food prices could drag on the expansion. Its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.4 percent in March. The index, which is a measure of future economic activity, has increased for nine straight months. 4/21 AP
6. Transparent Photovoltaic Cells Turn Windows Into Solar Panels - A new class of transparent photovoltaic cells has been developed that can turn an ordinary windowpane into a solar panel without impeding the passage of visible light, scientists said Tuesday. The cells could one day transform skyscrapers into giant solar collectors, said Richard Lunt, one of the researchers on the project. Previous attempts at transparent solar cells have either failed to achieve high efficiency or blocked too much light to be used in windows. But the new cells, based on organic molecules similar to dyes and pigments, are tailored to absorb only the near-infrared spectrum and have the potential to transform that light into electricity at relatively high efficiency. The largest challenge in developing commercial applications for the new solar cells will be longevity. The cells could be packaged in the middle of double-paned windows, which would provide protection from the elements. But the longevity of the cells would still need to approach the life span of the windows themselves, which would not be replaced for decades. 4/20 NY Times Green
7. University of Hawai'i Community Colleges Selects Johnson Controls to Implement $58 Million Energy Savings Program - University of Hawai'i Community Colleges (UHCC) and Johnson Controls today announced the start of a comprehensive energy efficiency and conservation program projected to save the university more than $58 million in energy and operational savings over the life of the 20-year performance contract. Solar hot water, energy efficient air conditioning and lighting retrofits are among the solutions provided by Johnson Controls. 4/21 PRNewswire
8. Appalachian Power to Launch Energy Efficiency Incentives and Rebate Programs - Appalachian Power, engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power, has announced that it is launching a series of energy efficiency incentive and rebate programs to help West Virginia residential and business customers offset rising electricity costs and become better consumers of energy. The SMART Lighting Program offers customers the opportunity to buy compact-fluorescent light bulbs at reduced prices. The program also offers discounts on other forms of smart lighting. For commercial and industrial customers, the Prescriptive Program is designed to generate energy savings for all commercial and industrial customers through the use of high efficiency lighting, HVAC and motors. 4/21 Datamonitor
9. KU Asks to Expand Energy Efficiency Programs - Kentucky Utilities has asked the state Public Service Commission for permission to expand its energy efficiency programs. If approved, the request would create three new offerings and tweak five existing ones. To learn more about existing energy efficiency programs: www.LGE-KU.com/ee
10. Financial results: Philips, Cree - LED products accounted for 14% of Philips’ lighting sales in the last fiscal year. Meanwhile, shares in Cree and SemiLEDs have been hit by poor recent performance. Packaged LED sales by Philips Lumileds represented 45% of total LED product sales, or around $717 million, for the year ending March 2011. Sales of LED lamps and luminaires accounted for around $876 million. Philips’ lighting sales $10.9 billion in the 12 months representing growth of 6%. The company expects that the global lighting market will grow at a CAGR of 7-9% during 2010-2015. Cree, Inc. has announced revenue of $219.2 million for the quarter ended March 27, 2011. This is 6% down compared to revenue of $234.1 million for the same quarter last year, and a 15% decrease compared to the previous quarter. For its fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 ending June 26, 2011, Cree targets revenue in a range of $225 million to $245 million. 4/20 LEDs Magazine
11. Energy Saving Light Bulbs 'Contain Cancer Causing Chemicals' - Fears have been reignited about the safety of energy saving light bulbs after a group of German scientists warned that they contain cancer causing chemicals. Their report advises that the CFL bulbs should not be left on for extended periods, particularly near someone’s head, as they emit poisonous materials when switched on. Peter Braun, who carried out the tests at the Berlin's Alab Laboratory, said: “For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept as far away as possible from the human environment.” British experts insisted that more research was needed and urged consumers not to panic. Dr. Michelle Bloor, senior lecturer in Environmental Science at Portsmouth University, told the Daily Express: “Further independent studies would need to be undertaken to back up the presented German research.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8462626/Energy-saving-light-bulbs-contain-cancer-causing-chemicals.html
Monday, April 18, 2011
SPECIAL TRAINING SESSION
Attardi Marketing is offering a behavior changing training session for sales professionals at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ:
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sales Pro Solution Selling
An important asset of any company, especially one involved in the distribution of products and services, is its sales force and its ability to solve problems in today’s increasingly diverse and global workplace. The current business environment is changing the makeup of both the workplace and, most certainly, your customer base.
This one-day advanced sales training workshop focuses on assessing the individual strengths and weaknesses we all have and the sales skills necessary to recognize and to solve those nagging problems that are impediments to successful sales closure.
Using a highly successful self-assessment instrument (DISC Model) online, the workshop provides the attendees an understanding of different behavioral styles essential for managing and selling more effectively in a diverse environment. In addition, the objective of the workshop is to develop the necessary sales skills to successfully upsell into a rapidly changing electrical industry with emphasis on the new energy efficient technologies and process selling. To convince today's customers to upgrade to the more technologically advanced products because of bottom line improvement and productivity gains that will be realized. The workshop engages and challenges participants through self-assessments, brief lecturettes, questionnaires, customized case studies and interactive group exercises.
Before the session, all participants will be asked to complete an online assessment:
The Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral Assessment – an analysis of each individual’s behavioral style is used to increase your self-awareness and abilities to develop adaptive styles to meet the demands of your work and customer environments. Here’s what you get:
- You get to take a 15 minute online assessment that will reveal your personal behavioral style
- Your Personal Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral report
- Expert analysis
- Complete binder to continue the learning process on your own
- Continental breakfast and break refreshments and lunch
- Professional Adjunct Professors: Bill Attardi and Mike Protono
Your cost: $350.00 per attendee. The complete one-day agenda and registration available at:
www.attardimarketing.com/salesprosolutionselling or send me an email at wattardi@attardimarketing.com for a group rate.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sales Pro Solution Selling
An important asset of any company, especially one involved in the distribution of products and services, is its sales force and its ability to solve problems in today’s increasingly diverse and global workplace. The current business environment is changing the makeup of both the workplace and, most certainly, your customer base.
This one-day advanced sales training workshop focuses on assessing the individual strengths and weaknesses we all have and the sales skills necessary to recognize and to solve those nagging problems that are impediments to successful sales closure.
Using a highly successful self-assessment instrument (DISC Model) online, the workshop provides the attendees an understanding of different behavioral styles essential for managing and selling more effectively in a diverse environment. In addition, the objective of the workshop is to develop the necessary sales skills to successfully upsell into a rapidly changing electrical industry with emphasis on the new energy efficient technologies and process selling. To convince today's customers to upgrade to the more technologically advanced products because of bottom line improvement and productivity gains that will be realized. The workshop engages and challenges participants through self-assessments, brief lecturettes, questionnaires, customized case studies and interactive group exercises.
Before the session, all participants will be asked to complete an online assessment:
The Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral Assessment – an analysis of each individual’s behavioral style is used to increase your self-awareness and abilities to develop adaptive styles to meet the demands of your work and customer environments. Here’s what you get:
- You get to take a 15 minute online assessment that will reveal your personal behavioral style
- Your Personal Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral report
- Expert analysis
- Complete binder to continue the learning process on your own
- Continental breakfast and break refreshments and lunch
- Professional Adjunct Professors: Bill Attardi and Mike Protono
Your cost: $350.00 per attendee. The complete one-day agenda and registration available at:
www.attardimarketing.com/salesprosolutionselling or send me an email at wattardi@attardimarketing.com for a group rate.
News Updates for the Week of April 18
1. Marijuana Growing Gobbles Electricity, Study Finds - A new study estimates that indoor pot-growing operations in the United States burn about $5 billion worth of electricity annually, or roughly 1 percent of national power consumption. That’s enough electricity to power two million average homes. The study estimated that a single joint contains the equivalent of roughly two pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of running a 100-watt bulb for about 30 hours on the California grid. Marijuana is considered the nation’s largest cash crop, with a production value estimated at about $40 billion annually. 4/17 NY Times. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/marijuana-growing-gobbles-electricity-study-finds/?hp
2. DOE Municipal Consortium Posts Draft Street-Lighting Specification - The US DOE Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium has posted drafts of street-lighting specification documents for review and is taking public comments through May 2. The documents are designed as a template for street-lighting buyers who are focused on solid-state lighting (SSL) projects. Buyers such as municipalities and utilities can use the documents as a base for their procurement specifications. The consortium has posted three documents on http://www.ssl.energy.gov/resources.html
3. ABC Reports on Construction Unemployment for March - Despite the loss of 1,000 jobs in March, the nation’s construction industry unemployment rate edged down to 20% for the month, according to the April 1 employment report by the U.S. Department of Labor, as analyzed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, Arlington, Va. Year-over-year, construction employment is down by 36,000 jobs, or 0.6%. Today’s rate is lower from 21.8% in February and 24.9% posted in March 2010. 4/15 EC&M
4. AEP-PSO Lauded for Energy-Efficiency Programs - AEP-PSO's energy-efficiency programs reduced electricity use by 39 million kilowatt hours last year, the Tulsa, OK-based utility reported Tuesday. Efficiency initiatives such as Energy Star New Homes, home weatherization for low-income customers and lighting retrofit incentives could help push that savings to 57 million kilowatt hours in 2011, the utility said. The federal Energy Star program includes efficiency standards for homes, appliances and office buildings. The utility indicated that the programs could cost $80 million, but the resulting efficiencies could save as much as $186 million. 4/13 Tulsa World
5. Energy Commission Awards $500,000 for New Lighting Research - The California Energy Commission awarded $500,000 for a research project to develop a more cost-effective way to manufacture light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Funding comes from the Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program. On Wednesday 4/13, the Commission approved $500,000 to Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara to develop an improved and more cost-effective way to manufacture LEDs. The project's total cost is $8,718, 911. Applied Materials is providing $4,225,000. The company received a $3,993,911 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act award from the U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.energy.ca.gov/, http://appliedmaterials.com/
6. Lime Energy Awarded Multi-Year Contract for Long Island Power Authority Small Business Energy Efficiency Program - Lime Energy has been notified that it has won the contract as the exclusive provider for the Small Business Energy Efficiency Program for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). The projected value of the five year contract is $7.3 million per year. The program will offer incentives of up to 70% toward the cost of energy efficiency upgrades to qualifying small business customers in specific distribution load pocket areas of Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA created the Small Business Direct Install Energy Efficiency Program as part of its customer-funded $900-plus million "Efficiency Long Island" strategy to defer distribution and generation system upgrade costs by reducing peak energy demand. Under the contract, Lime will enter into direct contracts to provide turnkey lighting retrofits with qualifying load pocket to customers who choose to participate. http://www.lime-energy.com/
7. Siemens’ Outsider CEO Pushes for Growth Around the Globe - Peter Loescher was the first non-Siemens employee in 160 years recruited to lead the German industrial giant in 2007. Loescher aimed to resolve the bribery scandal and move Siemens further into the company’s growth markets, such as India, China and the United States. He now intends to expand its energy, health-care and lighting businesses and has already boosted profit in the company’s financial-services division. Loescher shared his thoughts and business strategy in a recent interview in Washington. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/siemens-outsider-ceo-pushes-for-growth-around-the-globe/2011/04/13/AFptARqD_story.html?nl_headlines
8. 5-Year Deadline Sought for Ridding NYC Schools of PCBs - The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the New York City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, are both calling for replacing school light fixtures that are leaking PCBs in five years or less, putting more pressure on the Bloomberg administration to speed up its planned time line of 10 years. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/5-year-deadline-sought-for-ridding-schools-of-pcbs/
9. 2011 ENERGY STAR Winners - The EPA has announced the 2011 ENERGY STAR winners that have demonstrated leadership and commitment to protecting America’s health and environment through energy efficiency. 111 ENERGY STAR partners have been selected - manufacturers, retailers, public schools, real estate companies, home builders, and hospitals. For the fill listing of 2011 ENERGY STAR award winners, visit www.energystar.gov/awards
10. Now Open: EW’s 2011 Top 200 Survey by Doug Chandler April 15th, 2011 - Electrical distributors: It’s time to stand up and be counted. Don’t let your company be left off the list as we compile the 2011 edition of Electrical Wholesaling’s annual Top 200 listing of the largest electrical distributors in the United States. You can fill out the survey online: Electrical Wholesaling 2011 Top 200 Survey
11. Acuity Brands Launches Expanded Outdoor LED Lighting Portfolio - Acuity Brands, Inc. has announced a major expansion of its outdoor LED lighting portfolio. Offered as Acuity Brands® LED Outdoor, the expanded portfolio includes existing and newly introduced luminaires from six of the Company’s leading lighting brands, Lithonia Lighting®, Hydrel®, Tersen®, American Electric Lighting®, Antique Street Lamps™ and Winona Lighting®. The Company’s comprehensive outdoor LED luminaire product families are now grouped into customer-friendly and easy-to-find major categories that identify the four primary outdoor lighting experiences of DRIVE, PARK, WALK and VIEW. All of the new Acuity Brands LED Outdoor luminaires will be on display at the Lightfair International Tradeshow, booth #1801, May 17-19, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pa.
2. DOE Municipal Consortium Posts Draft Street-Lighting Specification - The US DOE Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium has posted drafts of street-lighting specification documents for review and is taking public comments through May 2. The documents are designed as a template for street-lighting buyers who are focused on solid-state lighting (SSL) projects. Buyers such as municipalities and utilities can use the documents as a base for their procurement specifications. The consortium has posted three documents on http://www.ssl.energy.gov/resources.html
3. ABC Reports on Construction Unemployment for March - Despite the loss of 1,000 jobs in March, the nation’s construction industry unemployment rate edged down to 20% for the month, according to the April 1 employment report by the U.S. Department of Labor, as analyzed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, Arlington, Va. Year-over-year, construction employment is down by 36,000 jobs, or 0.6%. Today’s rate is lower from 21.8% in February and 24.9% posted in March 2010. 4/15 EC&M
4. AEP-PSO Lauded for Energy-Efficiency Programs - AEP-PSO's energy-efficiency programs reduced electricity use by 39 million kilowatt hours last year, the Tulsa, OK-based utility reported Tuesday. Efficiency initiatives such as Energy Star New Homes, home weatherization for low-income customers and lighting retrofit incentives could help push that savings to 57 million kilowatt hours in 2011, the utility said. The federal Energy Star program includes efficiency standards for homes, appliances and office buildings. The utility indicated that the programs could cost $80 million, but the resulting efficiencies could save as much as $186 million. 4/13 Tulsa World
5. Energy Commission Awards $500,000 for New Lighting Research - The California Energy Commission awarded $500,000 for a research project to develop a more cost-effective way to manufacture light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Funding comes from the Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program. On Wednesday 4/13, the Commission approved $500,000 to Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara to develop an improved and more cost-effective way to manufacture LEDs. The project's total cost is $8,718, 911. Applied Materials is providing $4,225,000. The company received a $3,993,911 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act award from the U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.energy.ca.gov/, http://appliedmaterials.com/
6. Lime Energy Awarded Multi-Year Contract for Long Island Power Authority Small Business Energy Efficiency Program - Lime Energy has been notified that it has won the contract as the exclusive provider for the Small Business Energy Efficiency Program for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). The projected value of the five year contract is $7.3 million per year. The program will offer incentives of up to 70% toward the cost of energy efficiency upgrades to qualifying small business customers in specific distribution load pocket areas of Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA created the Small Business Direct Install Energy Efficiency Program as part of its customer-funded $900-plus million "Efficiency Long Island" strategy to defer distribution and generation system upgrade costs by reducing peak energy demand. Under the contract, Lime will enter into direct contracts to provide turnkey lighting retrofits with qualifying load pocket to customers who choose to participate. http://www.lime-energy.com/
7. Siemens’ Outsider CEO Pushes for Growth Around the Globe - Peter Loescher was the first non-Siemens employee in 160 years recruited to lead the German industrial giant in 2007. Loescher aimed to resolve the bribery scandal and move Siemens further into the company’s growth markets, such as India, China and the United States. He now intends to expand its energy, health-care and lighting businesses and has already boosted profit in the company’s financial-services division. Loescher shared his thoughts and business strategy in a recent interview in Washington. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/siemens-outsider-ceo-pushes-for-growth-around-the-globe/2011/04/13/AFptARqD_story.html?nl_headlines
8. 5-Year Deadline Sought for Ridding NYC Schools of PCBs - The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the New York City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, are both calling for replacing school light fixtures that are leaking PCBs in five years or less, putting more pressure on the Bloomberg administration to speed up its planned time line of 10 years. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/5-year-deadline-sought-for-ridding-schools-of-pcbs/
9. 2011 ENERGY STAR Winners - The EPA has announced the 2011 ENERGY STAR winners that have demonstrated leadership and commitment to protecting America’s health and environment through energy efficiency. 111 ENERGY STAR partners have been selected - manufacturers, retailers, public schools, real estate companies, home builders, and hospitals. For the fill listing of 2011 ENERGY STAR award winners, visit www.energystar.gov/awards
10. Now Open: EW’s 2011 Top 200 Survey by Doug Chandler April 15th, 2011 - Electrical distributors: It’s time to stand up and be counted. Don’t let your company be left off the list as we compile the 2011 edition of Electrical Wholesaling’s annual Top 200 listing of the largest electrical distributors in the United States. You can fill out the survey online: Electrical Wholesaling 2011 Top 200 Survey
11. Acuity Brands Launches Expanded Outdoor LED Lighting Portfolio - Acuity Brands, Inc. has announced a major expansion of its outdoor LED lighting portfolio. Offered as Acuity Brands® LED Outdoor, the expanded portfolio includes existing and newly introduced luminaires from six of the Company’s leading lighting brands, Lithonia Lighting®, Hydrel®, Tersen®, American Electric Lighting®, Antique Street Lamps™ and Winona Lighting®. The Company’s comprehensive outdoor LED luminaire product families are now grouped into customer-friendly and easy-to-find major categories that identify the four primary outdoor lighting experiences of DRIVE, PARK, WALK and VIEW. All of the new Acuity Brands LED Outdoor luminaires will be on display at the Lightfair International Tradeshow, booth #1801, May 17-19, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Special Training Session
Attardi Marketing is offering a behavior changing training session for sales professionals at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ:
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sales Pro Solution Selling
An important asset of any company, especially one involved in the distribution of products and services, is its sales force and its ability to solve problems in today’s increasingly diverse and global workplace. The current business environment is changing the makeup of both the workplace and, most certainly, your customer base.
This one-day advanced sales training workshop focuses on assessing the individual strengths and weaknesses we all have and the sales skills necessary to recognize and to solve those nagging problems that are impediments to successful sales closure.
Using a highly successful self-assessment instrument (DISC Model) online, the workshop provides the attendees an understanding of different behavioral styles essential for managing and selling more effectively in a diverse environment. In addition, the objective of the workshop is to develop the necessary sales skills to successfully upsell into a rapidly changing electrical industry with emphasis on the new energy efficient technologies and process selling. To convince today's customers to upgrade to the more technologically advanced products because of bottom line improvement and productivity gains that will be realized. The workshop engages and challenges participants through self-assessments, brief lecturettes, questionnaires, customized case studies and interactive group exercises.
Before the session, all participants will be asked to complete an online assessment:
The Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral Assessment – an analysis of each individual’s behavioral style is used to increase your self-awareness and abilities to develop adaptive styles to meet the demands of your work and customer environments. Here’s what you get:
- You get to take a 15 minute online assessment that will reveal your personal behavioral style
- Your Personal Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral report
- Expert analysis
- Complete binder to continue the learning process on your own
- Continental breakfast and break refreshments and lunch
- Professional Adjunct Professors: Bill Attardi and Mike Protono
Your cost: $350.00 per attendee. The complete one-day agenda and registration available at:
www.attardimarketing.com/salesprosolutionselling or send me an email at wattardi@attardimarketing.com for a group rate.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sales Pro Solution Selling
An important asset of any company, especially one involved in the distribution of products and services, is its sales force and its ability to solve problems in today’s increasingly diverse and global workplace. The current business environment is changing the makeup of both the workplace and, most certainly, your customer base.
This one-day advanced sales training workshop focuses on assessing the individual strengths and weaknesses we all have and the sales skills necessary to recognize and to solve those nagging problems that are impediments to successful sales closure.
Using a highly successful self-assessment instrument (DISC Model) online, the workshop provides the attendees an understanding of different behavioral styles essential for managing and selling more effectively in a diverse environment. In addition, the objective of the workshop is to develop the necessary sales skills to successfully upsell into a rapidly changing electrical industry with emphasis on the new energy efficient technologies and process selling. To convince today's customers to upgrade to the more technologically advanced products because of bottom line improvement and productivity gains that will be realized. The workshop engages and challenges participants through self-assessments, brief lecturettes, questionnaires, customized case studies and interactive group exercises.
Before the session, all participants will be asked to complete an online assessment:
The Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral Assessment – an analysis of each individual’s behavioral style is used to increase your self-awareness and abilities to develop adaptive styles to meet the demands of your work and customer environments. Here’s what you get:
- You get to take a 15 minute online assessment that will reveal your personal behavioral style
- Your Personal Success Insights® DISC Profile Behavioral report
- Expert analysis
- Complete binder to continue the learning process on your own
- Continental breakfast and break refreshments and lunch
- Professional Adjunct Professors: Bill Attardi and Mike Protono
Your cost: $350.00 per attendee. The complete one-day agenda and registration available at:
www.attardimarketing.com/salesprosolutionselling or send me an email at wattardi@attardimarketing.com for a group rate.
News Updates for the Week of April 11
1. Earth Day is April 22, 2011 - http://www.earthday.org/
2. From Howard Wiig, Institutional Energy Analyst, Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, State of Hawaii - The mercury from CFL's escaping into the atmosphere is not accurate. Mercury is dangerous when we (ot other species) inhale it in its gaseous state. The vast majority of CFL's are put into the garbage, where they are picked up and deposited into a garbage truck, where they break. There are (hopefully) no people in the garbage area to inhale the mercury gas. From the truck it generally goes to a landfill where it is covered over each day. Hence very little of the mercury escapes into the atmosphere, and when it does, it's not in proximity to humans. Finally, the amount of mercury in a CFL is equivalent to the amount of ink on a page when a ball-point pen's tip is pressed upon the page. The 75% energy savings achieved by CFL's is far more important than the minuscule amount of mercury from CFL's affecting humans. HWiig@dbedt.hawaii.gov
2. CORRECTION: GE Tours: Electric Vehicle Charging, Lighting Revolution - General Electric recently unveiled plans for two national tours: 3/15 TED
1) Seven-city EV Experience Tour: From the release: Each day-long stop in cities along the tour will include presentations by GE and community leaders, workshops to help stakeholders with EV planning, deployment, and integration strategies, and test drives. AND: GM, Ford, Toyota, Navistar, Smith Electric Vehicles, Mitsubishi, Coda, Smart, THINK and other organizations are working with GE on this. Stops:
• San Francisco (May 19) and Seattle (June 6)
• Los Angeles (March 17) and San Diego (March 22)
• Austin, Texas; New York City; and Washington, D.C. (to be scheduled)
2) 47-city GE Lighting Revolution Tour—first stop happened March 2 in Orlando, Fla.; there are 46 more to happen before November ends. What’s it about: LEDs, fluorescent, halogen and ceramic-metal halide lighting systems, GE said. Distributors, contractors, and others are invited; find out if the tour stops near you, and register, here. Upcoming stops:
• Houston—March 21
• Austin, Texas—March 28
• Dallas—April 4
3. GE to Build Largest US Solar Power Plant - GE is taking aim at the world's biggest solar company in a bid to expand into a fast-growing renewable energy market. General Electric Co. announced Thursday that it would spend $600 million to build the nation's biggest solar panel factory. It would build the same type of so-called thin film solar panels manufactured by First Solar Inc., the biggest producer of solar panels in the world. 4/7 AP
4. New NanoMarkets Report Predicts Asian OLED Lighting Market to Reach $2.1 Billion by 2016 - Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has released its latest report titled, “OLED Lighting Markets Asia-2011,” that says the market opportunities in Asia for OLED lighting will generate $2.1 billion by 2016. The report is the latest in NanoMarkets’ continuing coverage of the global OLED lighting marketplace. Additional details: http://nanomarkets.net/market_reports/report/oled_lighting_in_asia_-_2011/
5. New York City’s Electricity Prices May Double by 2014 - The price of electric power in New York City could double over the next three years as the result of a recent ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Power prices in New York City are already nearly two-thirds higher than the average price paid by consumers in other U.S. cities during any given month of the year. The gravamen of the dispute stems from federal “reliability standards” stipulating that New York City must be able to provide at least 80% of the electricity it uses during hours of peak demand from local power plants. In January, FERC issued a ruling that would substantially increase the price companies selling power in New York City pay for “capacity.” These companies pass the cost of buying this capacity on to consumers in the form of higher electricity bills. 4/4 Forbes
6. Microsoft, Toyota Partner on Energy Efficiency System - Microsoft and Toyota are forming a partnership to develop an in-car electronics system to allow Toyota's battery-powered vehicles to run more efficiently. They'll jointly invest $11.7 million in a Toyota subsidiary that provides data services to drivers. Along with plans for telematics services including data, navigation, in-car entertainment and multimedia, the system may manage energy use in vehicles. Toyota is looking to deploy the new system, powered by Microsoft's Azure platform, in its 2012 fleet of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and expand it to all models by 2015. General Motors and Ford also offer products developed with Microsoft. Ford previously tapped Microsoft to power its Sync system. 4/7 Detroit Free Press
7. Emergency Lighting: Automatic Load Control Relay Requirements in 2011 NEC - NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, and the International Building Code (IBC) require emergency lighting in all commercial and industrial buildings to facilitate emergency egress of people from the building and to reduce the possibility of panic in buildings during the exiting of large numbers of people during an emergency. Emergency lighting loads must be automatically energized or re-energized within 10 seconds of the electrical power outage, based on 700.12 of the NEC, and must stay energized for at least 90 minutes or for the anticipated time of the building evacuation. 3/’11 Electrical Contractor
8. A Systems Approach to Solid State Lighting by TE Connectivity - The transition from incandescent or fluorescent lighting fixtures to solid state lighting (SSL) presents lighting manufacturers with both a significant opportunity for growth and a daunting array of new engineering and design issues. The emergence of high-brightness (HB) LEDs has accelerated the conversion to SSL fixtures and will eventually overtake the use of CFLs as the preferred energy-efficient light source. This white paper provides lighting manufacturers with an overview of the elements involved in the design of SSL fixtures and describes the innovations of the TE Connectivity NEVALO system. http://www.ledjournal.com/images/White_Papers/NEVALO_WP_03%2016%2011.pdf
9. 2010 LED Resource Guide - This special issue features a comprehensive buyers guide of companies that manufacture LEDs, modules and arrays; providers of products, materials, components and services related to LED products and systems; LED technology developers and providers; and vendors of equipment, supplies and services for the manufacture of LED products and systems. http://www.ledjournal.com/images/PDFs/Online20Issues/2010/LEDRG2010.pdf
10. NEMA Guidelines on the Application of Dimming to High-Intensity Discharge Lamps -This document provides general information and considerations involved in the design and application of dimming circuitry employed with specific ballasts and lamps in the HID family. Download it free from the NEMA website. http://www.nema.org/stds/lsd14.cfm
11. LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. Technology to Shine in Australian Market - LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. (LRL) fixtures will soon be lighting up streets and roadways across Australia, thanks to a new partnership between LRL and PECAN Lighting Ltd. (PECAN), an Australian based street lighting company specializing in solar applications. Together, LRL and PECAN will bring energy efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solutions to the streets of Australia. 4/4 EC&M
2. From Howard Wiig, Institutional Energy Analyst, Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, State of Hawaii - The mercury from CFL's escaping into the atmosphere is not accurate. Mercury is dangerous when we (ot other species) inhale it in its gaseous state. The vast majority of CFL's are put into the garbage, where they are picked up and deposited into a garbage truck, where they break. There are (hopefully) no people in the garbage area to inhale the mercury gas. From the truck it generally goes to a landfill where it is covered over each day. Hence very little of the mercury escapes into the atmosphere, and when it does, it's not in proximity to humans. Finally, the amount of mercury in a CFL is equivalent to the amount of ink on a page when a ball-point pen's tip is pressed upon the page. The 75% energy savings achieved by CFL's is far more important than the minuscule amount of mercury from CFL's affecting humans. HWiig@dbedt.hawaii.gov
2. CORRECTION: GE Tours: Electric Vehicle Charging, Lighting Revolution - General Electric recently unveiled plans for two national tours: 3/15 TED
1) Seven-city EV Experience Tour: From the release: Each day-long stop in cities along the tour will include presentations by GE and community leaders, workshops to help stakeholders with EV planning, deployment, and integration strategies, and test drives. AND: GM, Ford, Toyota, Navistar, Smith Electric Vehicles, Mitsubishi, Coda, Smart, THINK and other organizations are working with GE on this. Stops:
• San Francisco (May 19) and Seattle (June 6)
• Los Angeles (March 17) and San Diego (March 22)
• Austin, Texas; New York City; and Washington, D.C. (to be scheduled)
2) 47-city GE Lighting Revolution Tour—first stop happened March 2 in Orlando, Fla.; there are 46 more to happen before November ends. What’s it about: LEDs, fluorescent, halogen and ceramic-metal halide lighting systems, GE said. Distributors, contractors, and others are invited; find out if the tour stops near you, and register, here. Upcoming stops:
• Houston—March 21
• Austin, Texas—March 28
• Dallas—April 4
3. GE to Build Largest US Solar Power Plant - GE is taking aim at the world's biggest solar company in a bid to expand into a fast-growing renewable energy market. General Electric Co. announced Thursday that it would spend $600 million to build the nation's biggest solar panel factory. It would build the same type of so-called thin film solar panels manufactured by First Solar Inc., the biggest producer of solar panels in the world. 4/7 AP
4. New NanoMarkets Report Predicts Asian OLED Lighting Market to Reach $2.1 Billion by 2016 - Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has released its latest report titled, “OLED Lighting Markets Asia-2011,” that says the market opportunities in Asia for OLED lighting will generate $2.1 billion by 2016. The report is the latest in NanoMarkets’ continuing coverage of the global OLED lighting marketplace. Additional details: http://nanomarkets.net/market_reports/report/oled_lighting_in_asia_-_2011/
5. New York City’s Electricity Prices May Double by 2014 - The price of electric power in New York City could double over the next three years as the result of a recent ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Power prices in New York City are already nearly two-thirds higher than the average price paid by consumers in other U.S. cities during any given month of the year. The gravamen of the dispute stems from federal “reliability standards” stipulating that New York City must be able to provide at least 80% of the electricity it uses during hours of peak demand from local power plants. In January, FERC issued a ruling that would substantially increase the price companies selling power in New York City pay for “capacity.” These companies pass the cost of buying this capacity on to consumers in the form of higher electricity bills. 4/4 Forbes
6. Microsoft, Toyota Partner on Energy Efficiency System - Microsoft and Toyota are forming a partnership to develop an in-car electronics system to allow Toyota's battery-powered vehicles to run more efficiently. They'll jointly invest $11.7 million in a Toyota subsidiary that provides data services to drivers. Along with plans for telematics services including data, navigation, in-car entertainment and multimedia, the system may manage energy use in vehicles. Toyota is looking to deploy the new system, powered by Microsoft's Azure platform, in its 2012 fleet of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and expand it to all models by 2015. General Motors and Ford also offer products developed with Microsoft. Ford previously tapped Microsoft to power its Sync system. 4/7 Detroit Free Press
7. Emergency Lighting: Automatic Load Control Relay Requirements in 2011 NEC - NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, and the International Building Code (IBC) require emergency lighting in all commercial and industrial buildings to facilitate emergency egress of people from the building and to reduce the possibility of panic in buildings during the exiting of large numbers of people during an emergency. Emergency lighting loads must be automatically energized or re-energized within 10 seconds of the electrical power outage, based on 700.12 of the NEC, and must stay energized for at least 90 minutes or for the anticipated time of the building evacuation. 3/’11 Electrical Contractor
8. A Systems Approach to Solid State Lighting by TE Connectivity - The transition from incandescent or fluorescent lighting fixtures to solid state lighting (SSL) presents lighting manufacturers with both a significant opportunity for growth and a daunting array of new engineering and design issues. The emergence of high-brightness (HB) LEDs has accelerated the conversion to SSL fixtures and will eventually overtake the use of CFLs as the preferred energy-efficient light source. This white paper provides lighting manufacturers with an overview of the elements involved in the design of SSL fixtures and describes the innovations of the TE Connectivity NEVALO system. http://www.ledjournal.com/images/White_Papers/NEVALO_WP_03%2016%2011.pdf
9. 2010 LED Resource Guide - This special issue features a comprehensive buyers guide of companies that manufacture LEDs, modules and arrays; providers of products, materials, components and services related to LED products and systems; LED technology developers and providers; and vendors of equipment, supplies and services for the manufacture of LED products and systems. http://www.ledjournal.com/images/PDFs/Online20Issues/2010/LEDRG2010.pdf
10. NEMA Guidelines on the Application of Dimming to High-Intensity Discharge Lamps -This document provides general information and considerations involved in the design and application of dimming circuitry employed with specific ballasts and lamps in the HID family. Download it free from the NEMA website. http://www.nema.org/stds/lsd14.cfm
11. LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. Technology to Shine in Australian Market - LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. (LRL) fixtures will soon be lighting up streets and roadways across Australia, thanks to a new partnership between LRL and PECAN Lighting Ltd. (PECAN), an Australian based street lighting company specializing in solar applications. Together, LRL and PECAN will bring energy efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solutions to the streets of Australia. 4/4 EC&M
Monday, April 4, 2011
SPECIAL TRAINING SESSION:
Attardi Marketing is offering a behavior changing training session for sales professionals at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ:
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sales Pro Solution Selling
An important asset of any company, especially one involved in the distribution of products and services, is its sales force and its ability to solve problems in today’s increasingly diverse and global workplace. The current business environment is changing the makeup of both the workplace and, most certainly, your customer base.
This one-day advanced sales training workshop focuses on assessing the individual strengths and weaknesses we all have and the sales skills necessary to recognize and to solve those nagging problems that are impediments to successful sales closure.
Using a highly successful self-assessment instrument (DISC Model) online, the workshop provides the attendees an understanding of different behavioral styles essential for managing and selling more effectively in a diverse environment. In addition, the objective of the workshop is to develop the necessary sales skills to successfully upsell into a rapidly changing electrical industry with emphasis on the new energy efficient technologies and process selling.
Your cost: $350.00 per attendee. The complete one-day agenda and registration at: www.attardimarketing.com/salesprosolutionselling
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sales Pro Solution Selling
An important asset of any company, especially one involved in the distribution of products and services, is its sales force and its ability to solve problems in today’s increasingly diverse and global workplace. The current business environment is changing the makeup of both the workplace and, most certainly, your customer base.
This one-day advanced sales training workshop focuses on assessing the individual strengths and weaknesses we all have and the sales skills necessary to recognize and to solve those nagging problems that are impediments to successful sales closure.
Using a highly successful self-assessment instrument (DISC Model) online, the workshop provides the attendees an understanding of different behavioral styles essential for managing and selling more effectively in a diverse environment. In addition, the objective of the workshop is to develop the necessary sales skills to successfully upsell into a rapidly changing electrical industry with emphasis on the new energy efficient technologies and process selling.
Your cost: $350.00 per attendee. The complete one-day agenda and registration at: www.attardimarketing.com/salesprosolutionselling
Something to Think About…
Five Tips for Making Marketing Magic by Jeff Barnhart
The implementation of your 2011 marketing plan is moving ahead. Clear strategies and a budget to support them are in place. A logical set of market-informed tactical actions are rolling out according to a planned timeline. However, there are other factors around your marketing plan objectives and the implementation of tactics that can have a potential impact on the success of your efforts.
Consider these five tips for getting more profitable marketing results:
1. Build a cohesive brand… A company’s brand design and messaging should resonate consistently across all marketing initiatives and materials. In theory, this seems obvious yet, in practice, a review of some companies’ print and digital marketing communications reveals a brand schizophrenia resulting from design and messaging which changes from one marketing medium to the next. While marketing components don’t need to be identical, a successful brand results from consistency of design themes and messages carried across all tactics. Consistency reinforces customer expectations that a brand will deliver the same qualities and benefits at each touch point with the company.
2. Greater alignment of marketing and sales… Involve sales staff in the front-end development of planned tactical items. Sales people have a unique and invaluable front line perspective on the competitive landscape a company’s tactical efforts will march across. Getting sales staff input increases the likelihood that marketing will provide them with the sales tools they need and encourages them to buy into and sell with the marketing messages the tactics are built upon. Keep sales up to speed on current marketing promotions and campaigns. Study after study has shown that companies whose marketing and sales staffs work as an interdependent team generate greater revenue and profit.
3. Take the pulse… Customers and prospects are the lifeblood of a business and surveying them periodically is essential to the success of a marketing plan. In addition to gauging awareness and penetration of a company’s marketing messages, the knowledge and insights gained from periodic customer and prospect surveys ensures the ongoing relevance of your messages and tactics in response to any shifts in customer needs, wants or challenges.
4. We cannot manage what we do not measure… Assuming a marketing plan’s objectives are measurable (which should be a requisite in developing them), measuring tactical performance against a defined set of metrics determines whether the objectives of the marketing plan are being met or an adjustment is needed. With the exception of sales promotions designed to move the meter in the short term, marketing results take time. Metrics tend to reveal more information when measured regularly over a longer period. Tracking downloads, Website visitors, attendees at various events and campaign-specific web hits or phone calls are typical metrics. Others can include rate of customer acquisition and attrition, cost per lead, rate of new product or service leads and sales, growth in customer buying frequency and volume of business.
5. Maintain flexibility… Ongoing measurement is also important for adapting marketing tactics and messages to changes in external marketplace forces or the emergence of a particularly successful tactic. A specific tactic, message or target audience generating a higher response may warrant a shift to put more marketing budget dollars and tactical weight behind the opportunity. Measurement identifies successful approaches that can be expanded as well as less successful tactics that can be re-tooled or retired.
When it comes to marketing, a company doesn’t have to do everything at once, but it should always be doing something on an ongoing basis to build and sustain a differentiated marketplace presence. Having measurable marketing objectives, incorporating sales staff input, maintaining a consistent brand look and messaging as well as measuring the results of marketing efforts goes a long way to accelerating a company’s velocity on the road to success.
http://www.cmasolutions.com/
The implementation of your 2011 marketing plan is moving ahead. Clear strategies and a budget to support them are in place. A logical set of market-informed tactical actions are rolling out according to a planned timeline. However, there are other factors around your marketing plan objectives and the implementation of tactics that can have a potential impact on the success of your efforts.
Consider these five tips for getting more profitable marketing results:
1. Build a cohesive brand… A company’s brand design and messaging should resonate consistently across all marketing initiatives and materials. In theory, this seems obvious yet, in practice, a review of some companies’ print and digital marketing communications reveals a brand schizophrenia resulting from design and messaging which changes from one marketing medium to the next. While marketing components don’t need to be identical, a successful brand results from consistency of design themes and messages carried across all tactics. Consistency reinforces customer expectations that a brand will deliver the same qualities and benefits at each touch point with the company.
2. Greater alignment of marketing and sales… Involve sales staff in the front-end development of planned tactical items. Sales people have a unique and invaluable front line perspective on the competitive landscape a company’s tactical efforts will march across. Getting sales staff input increases the likelihood that marketing will provide them with the sales tools they need and encourages them to buy into and sell with the marketing messages the tactics are built upon. Keep sales up to speed on current marketing promotions and campaigns. Study after study has shown that companies whose marketing and sales staffs work as an interdependent team generate greater revenue and profit.
3. Take the pulse… Customers and prospects are the lifeblood of a business and surveying them periodically is essential to the success of a marketing plan. In addition to gauging awareness and penetration of a company’s marketing messages, the knowledge and insights gained from periodic customer and prospect surveys ensures the ongoing relevance of your messages and tactics in response to any shifts in customer needs, wants or challenges.
4. We cannot manage what we do not measure… Assuming a marketing plan’s objectives are measurable (which should be a requisite in developing them), measuring tactical performance against a defined set of metrics determines whether the objectives of the marketing plan are being met or an adjustment is needed. With the exception of sales promotions designed to move the meter in the short term, marketing results take time. Metrics tend to reveal more information when measured regularly over a longer period. Tracking downloads, Website visitors, attendees at various events and campaign-specific web hits or phone calls are typical metrics. Others can include rate of customer acquisition and attrition, cost per lead, rate of new product or service leads and sales, growth in customer buying frequency and volume of business.
5. Maintain flexibility… Ongoing measurement is also important for adapting marketing tactics and messages to changes in external marketplace forces or the emergence of a particularly successful tactic. A specific tactic, message or target audience generating a higher response may warrant a shift to put more marketing budget dollars and tactical weight behind the opportunity. Measurement identifies successful approaches that can be expanded as well as less successful tactics that can be re-tooled or retired.
When it comes to marketing, a company doesn’t have to do everything at once, but it should always be doing something on an ongoing basis to build and sustain a differentiated marketplace presence. Having measurable marketing objectives, incorporating sales staff input, maintaining a consistent brand look and messaging as well as measuring the results of marketing efforts goes a long way to accelerating a company’s velocity on the road to success.
http://www.cmasolutions.com/
News Updates for the Week of April 4
1. Osram to Spark Lighting M&A After Siemens Spin-Off - Lighting group Osram will pursue takeovers and alliances once it is spun out of German conglomerate Siemens in an initial public offering (IPO) late this year. An analyst said Osram could be floated at 11.5 times 2012 earnings.
• Siemens says Osram will look for partnerships
• Says plans IPO of Osram light bulb unit in late 2011
• Says to sell more than 50 percent of Osram in IPO 3/29 Reuters
• It will continue to retain a minority stake in the lighting brand and that it will continue as a long-term shareholder
2. “Green” Claims Confuse Consumers - The annual Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker found that 97% of Americans believe they know what common environmental marketing claims such as "green" or "environmentally friendly" mean. Yet their interpretations are often inaccurate, according to the researchers. More than two-in-five Americans (41%) erroneously believe these terms mean a product has a positive (i.e., beneficial) impact on the environment. Only 29% understand that these terms more accurately describe products with less environmental impact than previous versions or competing products. http://www.coneinc.com/news/request.php?id=3624
3. GE Helps to Understand the 2012 Lighting Legislation - Between 2012 and 2014, standard A-line 40- and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs must use 30% less energy, but produce the same light output as the incandescent bulbs most of us use today. For more information, visit: http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/products/2012_energy_legislation/
4. Unemployment Rate Falls to 2-Year Low Of 8.8 Pct.; Employers Add 216K Jobs in March - The unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent in March, capping the strongest two months of hiring since before the recession began. Factories, retailers, the education and health care sectors and professional and financial services all expanded payrolls. Those job gains offset layoffs by local governments. Another month of brisk hiring provided the latest sign that the economy is strengthening nearly two years after the recession ended. Private employers, the backbone of the economy, drove the gains. They added more than 200,000 jobs for a second straight month. It was the first time that’s happened since 2006 — more than a year before the recession started. Economists predict employers will add jobs at roughly the same pace for the rest of this year. That would generate about 2.5 million new positions. Still, that would make up for only a small portion of the 7.5 million jobs wiped out during the recession. 4/1 AP
5. Woodbridge Energy Center Project One of Three Selected in New Jersey Energy Procurement Process - Competitive Power Ventures, Inc. (CPV) announced today that its CPV Woodbridge Energy Center project has been selected by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to be one of three electric generating projects that will produce in-state power to help lower electric costs for New Jersey consumers who currently pay some of the highest rates in the country. 3/31 http://cpv.com/press_detail.php?p_id=40
6. ICF International Awarded $36.5 Million ENERGY STAR® Contract - ICF to identify and promote energy-efficient products and will be tasked with a number of crucial responsibilities, including providing EPA with specification development, research and analysis, sales and marketing strategies, media marketing, software and electronic information development, program integrity support, program evaluation, administration, and management support for the ENERGY STAR program. http://www.icfi.com/news/2011/icf-international-awarded-energy-star-contract
7. Groom Energy and Digital Lumens Wins More Cold Storage - Digital Lumens announced on 3/26 Tuesday that its Intelligent LED Lighting Systems have been installed in Americold facilities across three states. The upgrades in Massachusetts, Utah and Wisconsin are estimated to save 2.3 million kilowatt-hours annually. Groom Energy and Americold will also be upgrading warehouses in four other states in coming months, which would save another 3.3 million kWhs. But there could be even more -- as Americold, which owns and operates more than 180 temperature-controlled warehouses in various countries, has more than one billion cubic feet of storage. http://www.groomenergy.com/%20http://www.digitallumens.com/
8. GE Introduces Hybrid: Incandescent, Halogen & CFL - GE Lighting's latest customer-inspired light bulb—a hybrid halogen-CFL contained in an incandescent-shaped glass bulb—hits the target for homeowners who love the energy efficiency and long life of GE-quality CFLs but have yearned for more immediate brightness in an energy-saving bulb. GE Energy Smart® Soft White and Reveal® hybrid halogen-CFL bulbs will brighten the lighting aisles of mass retail, hardware and big box stores nationwide in the weeks leading up to Earth Day 2011 (April 22). Retailers set prices but customers could expect to pay $5.99-$9.99 based on product line and wattage.
9. Can We Do Without the Mideast? - The problem the nation faces is easy to define: it’s the 19 million barrels of oil a day used by its cars, trucks and aircraft. Though the United States remains one of the largest oil producers in the world, it has been an importer since the late 1940s, with imports rising and domestic production declining fairly steadily year after year over the last quarter-century, until recently. 3/30 NY Times
• Siemens says Osram will look for partnerships
• Says plans IPO of Osram light bulb unit in late 2011
• Says to sell more than 50 percent of Osram in IPO 3/29 Reuters
• It will continue to retain a minority stake in the lighting brand and that it will continue as a long-term shareholder
2. “Green” Claims Confuse Consumers - The annual Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker found that 97% of Americans believe they know what common environmental marketing claims such as "green" or "environmentally friendly" mean. Yet their interpretations are often inaccurate, according to the researchers. More than two-in-five Americans (41%) erroneously believe these terms mean a product has a positive (i.e., beneficial) impact on the environment. Only 29% understand that these terms more accurately describe products with less environmental impact than previous versions or competing products. http://www.coneinc.com/news/request.php?id=3624
3. GE Helps to Understand the 2012 Lighting Legislation - Between 2012 and 2014, standard A-line 40- and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs must use 30% less energy, but produce the same light output as the incandescent bulbs most of us use today. For more information, visit: http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/products/2012_energy_legislation/
4. Unemployment Rate Falls to 2-Year Low Of 8.8 Pct.; Employers Add 216K Jobs in March - The unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent in March, capping the strongest two months of hiring since before the recession began. Factories, retailers, the education and health care sectors and professional and financial services all expanded payrolls. Those job gains offset layoffs by local governments. Another month of brisk hiring provided the latest sign that the economy is strengthening nearly two years after the recession ended. Private employers, the backbone of the economy, drove the gains. They added more than 200,000 jobs for a second straight month. It was the first time that’s happened since 2006 — more than a year before the recession started. Economists predict employers will add jobs at roughly the same pace for the rest of this year. That would generate about 2.5 million new positions. Still, that would make up for only a small portion of the 7.5 million jobs wiped out during the recession. 4/1 AP
5. Woodbridge Energy Center Project One of Three Selected in New Jersey Energy Procurement Process - Competitive Power Ventures, Inc. (CPV) announced today that its CPV Woodbridge Energy Center project has been selected by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to be one of three electric generating projects that will produce in-state power to help lower electric costs for New Jersey consumers who currently pay some of the highest rates in the country. 3/31 http://cpv.com/press_detail.php?p_id=40
6. ICF International Awarded $36.5 Million ENERGY STAR® Contract - ICF to identify and promote energy-efficient products and will be tasked with a number of crucial responsibilities, including providing EPA with specification development, research and analysis, sales and marketing strategies, media marketing, software and electronic information development, program integrity support, program evaluation, administration, and management support for the ENERGY STAR program. http://www.icfi.com/news/2011/icf-international-awarded-energy-star-contract
7. Groom Energy and Digital Lumens Wins More Cold Storage - Digital Lumens announced on 3/26 Tuesday that its Intelligent LED Lighting Systems have been installed in Americold facilities across three states. The upgrades in Massachusetts, Utah and Wisconsin are estimated to save 2.3 million kilowatt-hours annually. Groom Energy and Americold will also be upgrading warehouses in four other states in coming months, which would save another 3.3 million kWhs. But there could be even more -- as Americold, which owns and operates more than 180 temperature-controlled warehouses in various countries, has more than one billion cubic feet of storage. http://www.groomenergy.com/%20http://www.digitallumens.com/
8. GE Introduces Hybrid: Incandescent, Halogen & CFL - GE Lighting's latest customer-inspired light bulb—a hybrid halogen-CFL contained in an incandescent-shaped glass bulb—hits the target for homeowners who love the energy efficiency and long life of GE-quality CFLs but have yearned for more immediate brightness in an energy-saving bulb. GE Energy Smart® Soft White and Reveal® hybrid halogen-CFL bulbs will brighten the lighting aisles of mass retail, hardware and big box stores nationwide in the weeks leading up to Earth Day 2011 (April 22). Retailers set prices but customers could expect to pay $5.99-$9.99 based on product line and wattage.
9. Can We Do Without the Mideast? - The problem the nation faces is easy to define: it’s the 19 million barrels of oil a day used by its cars, trucks and aircraft. Though the United States remains one of the largest oil producers in the world, it has been an importer since the late 1940s, with imports rising and domestic production declining fairly steadily year after year over the last quarter-century, until recently. 3/30 NY Times
Monthly Special Feature
http://www.lightingfacts.com/
Success with solid-state lighting
We sit on the leading edge of an industry poised for explosive growth. As innovative LED lighting products emerge, the facts about LED lighting performance must hit the market with equal speed. Clear labeling on lighting performance is the critical link between innovation and successful market introduction.
Lighting Facts® showcases LED luminaire manufacturers who commit to testing products and reporting performance results according to industry standards. For lighting buyers, designers, and energy efficiency programs, the Lighting Facts label provides information essential to evaluating products and identifying the best options.
Make Lighting Facts work for you.
• Are you a luminaire manufacturer? Take the Lighting Facts pledge and take a stand on lighting quality.
• Retailers and distributors, get the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the products on your shelves will satisfy your customers. There's a pledge designed just for you.
• Lighting Pros - lighting designers and specifiers, utilities, and energy efficiency program sponsors take the pledge to show you are on the cutting edge of lighting quality.
Lighting Facts is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assure and improve the quality of LED lighting products. Read the fact sheet that DOE developed to explain Lighting Facts, titled Lighting Facts Label Supports Accuracy in Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Product Information.
Participation in Lighting Facts is open to those who manufacture, sell, and recommend the best in LED lighting.
Partners& Product Count
Manufacturers 213
Retailers & Distributors 169
Lighting Pro 200
Products 2185
(Last updated 3/2/2011)
The numbers are in for 2010 - the move to 4-foot T8 and T5 fluorescent lamps is moving in the right direction but it’s slow. Still 52% of replacement lamps are T12.
http://www.attardimarketing.com/speaking/USALightingMarket.pdf
Success with solid-state lighting
We sit on the leading edge of an industry poised for explosive growth. As innovative LED lighting products emerge, the facts about LED lighting performance must hit the market with equal speed. Clear labeling on lighting performance is the critical link between innovation and successful market introduction.
Lighting Facts® showcases LED luminaire manufacturers who commit to testing products and reporting performance results according to industry standards. For lighting buyers, designers, and energy efficiency programs, the Lighting Facts label provides information essential to evaluating products and identifying the best options.
Make Lighting Facts work for you.
• Are you a luminaire manufacturer? Take the Lighting Facts pledge and take a stand on lighting quality.
• Retailers and distributors, get the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the products on your shelves will satisfy your customers. There's a pledge designed just for you.
• Lighting Pros - lighting designers and specifiers, utilities, and energy efficiency program sponsors take the pledge to show you are on the cutting edge of lighting quality.
Lighting Facts is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assure and improve the quality of LED lighting products. Read the fact sheet that DOE developed to explain Lighting Facts, titled Lighting Facts Label Supports Accuracy in Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Product Information.
Participation in Lighting Facts is open to those who manufacture, sell, and recommend the best in LED lighting.
Partners& Product Count
Manufacturers 213
Retailers & Distributors 169
Lighting Pro 200
Products 2185
(Last updated 3/2/2011)
The numbers are in for 2010 - the move to 4-foot T8 and T5 fluorescent lamps is moving in the right direction but it’s slow. Still 52% of replacement lamps are T12.
http://www.attardimarketing.com/speaking/USALightingMarket.pdf
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