Virgin Island Tax Break
If you have your own firm and you’re sick and tired of Uncle Sam reaping too much of your hard earned profits, you might consider moving to St. Thomas or other parts of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Here not only can you enjoy a year round paradise of pristine white sand beaches, palm trees, low humidity day after sunny 80 degree day, but, through its Economic Development Council (EDC) you can also save about 90% on your U.S. business income tax.
The primary mission of the USVI EDC is written in its Title 29 bylaws. The Economic Development Commission has offices not only in St. Croix and St. Thomas but also in Washington DC and New York City. The objectives and general purpose of the organization is to encourage the growth of industry and business in the U.S. Virgin Islands and to assist in its development, expansion and creation. A side mandate, one that is a result of the EDC’s success in its mission is the growth of job opportunities for resident of USVI.
Companies have to qualify for the help of the EDC but those who do receive a number of benefits, the best of which is a reduction of 90 percent in the income tax they must pay to the U.S. federal government.
One might wonder why U.S. businesses aren’t flocking to the Virgin Islands for this benefit and why the Economic Development Commission hasn’t been overrun by applications. The simple truth seems to be that U.S. companies, and individuals who want to become entrepreneurs have just not learned about this wonderful business growth and start up program.
What this means for you entrepreneurs or entrepreneur hopefuls is that the door is open wide for you to take advantage of this stupendous tax benefit before the word gets out to everyone else.
If this seems like a rather outrageous offering, and perhaps one with a catch consider this: the economy of the Virgin Islands is insular and small. Its own natural resources are scarce. As a result the USVI must heavily rely on services and exporting to generate employment and income for its residents. The territorial and U.S. federal governments put their bureaucratic heads together to come up with a series of business tax incentives that would drive growth and investment in the USVI. The major focus on this growth was expected to be on activities related to trade and export.
As of the last documented report, close to 100 firms that employed close to 6000 islanders were realizing federal tax benefits from their EDC participation. The industries were varied, and included guest houses and hotels, manufacturing and assembly, tourist attractions, service industry businesses, transportation services, and manufacturing. Of the latter, the categories including the production of aluminum, refinery of oil, watch manufacture, pharmaceuticals, rum and liquor, high tech electronic parts and assembly and construction materials.
GR is a retired Airline Captain who has been involved in real estate and building since childhood. Now, he is retired in the US Virgin Islands where he writes and does more marketing from home. A good place to learn about the islands and to find your home is http://www.StThomasLuxuryHomes.com
USVI Economic Qualifiers for the EDC 90% Tax Reduction Program
If you have a hankering for your own business and a yen for fun in the sun, your best bet is the U.S. Virgin Islands. Here you can build your own business, or grow your existing one, and keep most of what had been your tax payments for yourself and your firm.
The USVI and its Economic Development Council has a plan to let you reap a tremendous financial boon and corporate benefits that will wow you. Here are the industries and types of firms that can apply for this 90 percent federal income tax break for business. They are divided up into four different categories.
The first qualifier category includes firms who produce milk and other dairy products, that manufacture rum and that assemble and manufacture time pieces and other jewelry.
Category two is made up of companies engaged in product assembly, and any manufacturing other than jewelry and watch assembly, agriculture or food processing, Mari culture, any marine related firm, the processing of raw materials, guest houses or hotel facilities, and companies offering telecommunications or transportation services.
The next category of qualifying organizations include those engaged in services such as financial or investment advisors and managers, management and business consultants, software designers and developers, firms and sites engaged in e-commerce, call / contact centers, high technology companies, businesses engaged in international public relations or trading and distributing internationally, and any other type of business that serves clients that are located beyond the borders of any of the Virgin Islands.
The fourth category of qualifying businesses include utility providers, healthcare facilities, recreation and athletic facilities, insurance carriers, physicians and their corporate entities and any other firms that the Economic Development Commission decides are appropriate. All that’s required to add a firm to the qualifier list is the EDC’s decision that doing so will advance the well being and economic growth of the United States Virgin Islands and its residents.
To earn the benefits of EDC a company must qualify. The requirements include a minimum investment of $100,000 - this does not include inventory, and residence either as an individual or a business entity in the USVI. Business entity includes partnership, corporation, trust, limited liability partnership and limited liability corporation.
The applicant must actually be an investor in the firm that is applying, and that firm must employer at least 10 full time employees, 8 of which must be residents of the Virgin Islands. The company must also qualify ecologically; i.e., it must be a firm that is friendly to the environment in mission and in practice. The firm, if contracting for services or products, must use firms licensed with and registered in the Virgin Islands. The company must also provide assistance either financial or through on site training to educate local VI residents. It must also maintain its payroll account in a bank that resides in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
GR is a retired Airline Captain who has been involved in real estate and building since childhood. Now, he is retired in the US Virgin Islands where he writes and does more marketing from home. A good place to learn about the islands and to find your home is http://www.StThomasLuxuryHomes.com
Tokui Waza Presentations
In Judo, Tokui Waza means “favorite” or “best” technique. It’s the throw that fits naturally to your body type, and you have practiced it thousands of times to make it an instinctual response. Everyone at the club or local tournament knows that you’ll use it, but there’s nothing they can do to stop it…you’re just that damn good at it.
Same thing goes in business. Everyone needs to have a carefully prepared and practiced Tokui Waza. Of course, you are not going to toss your clients, customer or superior over your head (Although that would be nice sometimes) but you are going to have to knock their socks off from time to time with some sort of presentation. And regardless if you are selling the project you’ve been slaving day and night on, your company’s product or service, or your own personal qualifications, victory will only be achieved if that presentation is perfect.
Now don’t get nervous! Just like in Judo, if your Tokui Waza presentation is strong enough, it will work in almost every situation with just slight variations. Therefore, you only have to develop one “core” presentation and then you will be able to seamlessly fold any “new” aspects of each new situation into the mix.
Alright…Let’s build your “core” presentation.
Something in your life has previously motivated you. Whether it is a song, a speech, an article, a passage in a book, whatever; find it and copy it down longhand (that means write it out for you youngins) ten times on a legal pad.
The purpose of this is to steal the “rhythm”. While you may mistakenly thing that the actual “words” are, motivating you, in reality it is the sequence and chaining of the words to one another that are invoking a rhythmic association within your brain. And rhythm is easily imitated through repetition. Next…
We’ll begin with selling yourself. Your “core” presentation should reflect the idea that you are on the job interview of your life. You must sell yourself to gain whatever dream getting this job will fulfill. A yacht, $300 million dollars, a Rolls-Royce…whatever.
Start with your own personal story of hardship. Whether you had to solve a problem, battle a disease, fight an unbeatable higher power, your story should reflect the idea that you too had a “problem” that needed to be solved.
Next, isolate and agitate the hell out of the problem at hand. Blow it out of proportion, use “worst case” scenarios as daily occurrences, build on whatever potential there is for the shit to hit the fan and the apocalypse to be right around the corner
Finally, use all the tools we’ve talked about in previous issues; authority, emotional control, proof, E-factors, customization, strengths, benefits, etc., and start to build your solution.
Now if you did the rhythm exercise properly, your incorporation of the “Problem - Agitate - Solve” formula into your writing should have a similar and successful flow.
If you used a song as your motivation, there are probably repeating key facts, points, or details that mimic the chorus. If you used a speech, there is most likely a smooth mix of “highs” and “lows” that imitate someone speaking passionately about a subject. A passage from a book or a scene from a movie? Then your storytelling will emulate the emotion and paint visual “word pictures” in your listener or readers mind. All powerful, powerful stuff.
Great! Now practice your ass off!
That’s right; not only do you need to memorize your presentation, but you must practice it every chance you get to “nail” all the little crescendos, jokes, inflections, and facial expressions you envisioned as you were writing it. There is no shortcut for this. Only practice, practice, and practice some more.
Through this practice, you gain something so powerful, so dominant, so influential that nobody in his or her right mind will be able to say “no” to you once your Tokui Waza presentation has been delivered…
The unfaltering confidence and utter conviction that you are the ONLY answer to whatever problem needs solving. And that my friends, is true power.
For more information on Chris “Lt. X” Pizzo former soldier, cancer survivor, mercenary, barroom bouncer, educator, and hand-to-hand combat instructor, and his incredible FREE Accelerated Battlefield Combatives close-combat learning system, visit http://www.TopSecretTraining.com
Finding the Right Office Space for Your Business
Every successful office manager knows that the office, furniture or equipment is not necessarily the key to prosperity in the workplace, but the people working with them are more important. That is why many office suppliers are now aiming to provide much more than a nicely furnished office space, they also aim to provide the necessary services to accommodate and maintain office space.
Many companies now offer full service and affordable solutions for different businesses. In addition, they may provide space for executive offices with stunning views that are suitable for board meetings and client updates. Having an office located in a modern contemporary building with many hotels, restaurants and car rentals agencies in vicinity can turn out to be very convenient for clients, employees and co-workers.
Indisputably, the internet has an increasingly greater effect on the way people around the world live, think, and most important work in different businesses. More people are doing business with the help of the internet; therefore virtual office software is frequently the best tool to help them satisfy their desires and requests.
In the San Francisco area, those who work in a virtual office environment have a unique office space opportunity. There is a business package that usually provides individuals with many advantages such as: mailing address and a mailbox, kitchen facilities, access to a conference room or private office for different periods of time (for example 8 hours) per mouth, a phone number and your company’s name on the Directory Board.
Taking all this in consideration, this innovative office space opportunity in San Francisco can be the ideal solution for anyone who works from home, a person that spends most of his/hers time on the road, or simply someone who needs a part-time office. This is a great way to cut costs and maintain a business identity at the same time.
In San Francisco, you can find these executive office space opportunities at a great number of executive suite centers both in the city and the surrounding areas. The fastest and easiest way to find executive office space in San Francisco is to surf the internet. There is a considerably large number of websites that offer exact information about each executive suite center together with detailed location maps, indicators, pricing, and photos along with information on the different services that are provided. With such a large number of executive centers all you have to do is chose the one that best fits your needs.
These new office space innovations in San Francisco may just be the best solution for your business. You can benefit from appropriately staffed office space on full time as well as part time, or you can take advantage of distinct services including telephone, administrative and secretarial services, T1 internet access, consulting, conference rooms and many others.
If a professional appearance is important for your business, but the synchronization is not right to rent an office you can look for business identity packages. With prices varying between different amounts of money depending on the services provided; you can have that professional office you’ve always dreamed about, without the costs that usually go along with it.
For more information about Bay Area Executive Offices, Office Space, office space innovations, unique office space, visit Bay Area Executive O at http://www.bayareaoffices.com.
San Francisco Office Space
The Bay Area in San Francisco is the central point of San Francisco’s skyline and its business district. It is an outstanding sight with a unique architectural style that symbolizes the ultimate location, tenant coziness, great services as well as excellent materials and finishes. The Bay Area has many signature buildings in the landscape that offer great appeal for office space.
In San Francisco, the trend of the future is the innovation of shared office space. Offering a new approach to office space leasing in San Francisco, shared office space is interesting because clients only have to pay for the time they use the office. Executives that work at home, people that travel a lot and directors that have just started a business can find office space rentals more suited to their needs. Shared space is very useful when you have to meet with clients or if you simply look for a quiet place to work for a few hours.
For someone who needs a part time office paying a year round lease simply makes no sense, thus shared space offer the best solution. Depending on the client’s needs, a shared workplace can be equipped with a phone, voice mail, fax, conference facilities, computers connected to the internet, copying machines and other office hardware. This means both a personalized and suitable solution for any business executive looking to save money without compromising anything else.
Shared office space could offer the convenience of a location near to the center of the Financial District, near where your clients may be situated, more affordably than a full-time rental. One of the most important reasons why individuals rent office space is saving money that can actually be used to expand their business. This innovative workplace idea has been put into place almost anywhere in San Francisco from Chinatown to the Financial District.
Many executive shared office situations offer complete services and facilities including an appropriately staffed office, part time telephone personnel, administrative and secretarial services, high speed internet access, consulting, fully equipped conference rooms, parking space and much more.
Also available are virtual offices, which are designed for those who require admission to office space and business services for a short time only. Virtual office service provides some of the best facilities, assistance and advantages for your business. The main benefit of a virtual office space is the possibility to take advantage of an office at only at a fraction of the cost of actually owning a traditional one.
Virtual offices can offer a business executive a mailing address (mailing receiving and distribution) a personalized reception service, phone number with voicemail access to offices and conference rooms and a completely operational kitchen. You can also profit from a virtual office specialist that can help you create a program that will fulfill all your needs. Some virtual office packages include communications systems. Some communications systems offer a notification system that will alert customers when they receive an email or will redirect their calls to a designated number. This can be a great benefit when you are off-site.
For more information about Bay Area Executive Offices, Office Space, office space innovations, unique office space, visit Bay Area Executive Offices at http://www.bayareaoffices.com.
Project Managers Need To “Manage The Boss”
Most people have one. Yet attending to their demands and idiosyncrasies can be nerve-wracking. Wise people engage good boss management strategies. After all, bosses are not exalted and invincible gods. They are human beings with special roles and authority as well as the requisite levels of human weaknesses, problems and pressures.
Assess Leadership Style
Recognize leadership skills inherent in your own boss. This assists you to better understand your boss. You also benefit by becoming a better manager.
Leader #1: The Press Leader
These leaders pretend to be drill sergeants. Low self-esteem and a strong fear of failure drives them. They are impressed by outward displays of project management and busyness.rather than by results. The leader treats people as expeditors who obey orders. They tolerate no mistakes. Trivial details snare their energies and attention. They oversupervise and manage by punishment.
How to handle The Press Leader: Quickly discover on-the-job limits. Determine whether your boss is simply tough or ruthless. The tough leader precisely delegates authority balanced with appropriate responsibility. The ruthless one disregards human factors. If you choose to resist the press leader, do it privately, not within view of colleagues. This way your leader will not lose face. Support your position with plenty of evidence. Otherwise you lose.
Leader #2: The Laissez-Faire Leader
This leader abandons staff. These leaders provide little or no support in tough times. They stipulate little of what is expected of employees. They provide virtually no project management guidance on how to accomplish tasks. While the Press Leader may hover over an employee’s shoulder, this leader does nothing to train or guide. The Press Leader overmanages. The Laissez-Faire Leader overlooks.
Managing The Laissez-Faire Leader: The individual who is self-motivated and needs little praise will work well under this type of leader. This leader craves facts such as costs, statistics and research findings. Provide these facts and figures for your boss, while at the same time trying to stress some human elements. Encourage your boss to clarify exactly what is to be accomplished.
Leader #3: The Participatory Leader
The Participatory Leader is adept at communication procedures. Under this type of boss, employees are given precise feedback and recognition when deserved. The Participatory Leader strives to involve employees in the assessment process. He or she is inspirational and innovative. The Participatory Leader customizes the type and amount of feedback required for each employee.
Managing The Participatory Leader: The most effective way of dealing with the Participatory Leader is to feed back the same techniques that he or she uses with subordinates. Keep them informed of what does and does not work. Since this type of leader is interested in results, your opinions will be heeded.
Leader #4: The Develop Leader
This leader goes a step beyond the Participatory Leader. The Develop Leader fosters staff self-esteem, autonomy and competence. Techniques for success are isolated and taught to subordinates as the need arises. The Develop Leader empowers staff and nurtures a feeling of reverence, not in the boss, but in employees themselves.
There is often a high staff turnover rate for employees of develop leaders. But it is a good one because it is upward. Because this type of leader creates such a high level of competence amongst the ranks through professional development and project management, there is always someone to take over when someone moves up.
Keep Your Boss Happy
- Learn what your boss expects and values.
- Strive for high quality results.
- Solve as many problems as possible without the help
of your boss.
- Keep your boss informed.
- Be your strongest critic.
- Get regular feedback from your boss.
- Differ with your boss only in private.
- Save money and earn revenue.
- Be a good leader yourself.
- Promote only valuable ideas.
- After all. Your boss is not interested in the storms you encountered, but whether you brought in the ship.
Canadian Management Centre offers a variety of professional development, project management, marketing and management training seminars.
http://www.cmctraining.org/projectmanagement.asp
A Corporate Security Guide to Software Piracy
Almost from the first computer software commercially sold, software pirates have flourished. The international trade in pirated software mirrors criminal activities of other kinds such as drug trafficking - it has its own subculture, jargon, and connections.
It is important to distinguish between stolen software and free or open source software. In fact, the vast majority of software available even today is:
* open source - the source code is available and the software is released under public use for learning, modification, and even redistribution.
* freeware - written by students and hobbyists and given away for free without source code.
* free software - free as in “freedom”, open source under the GNU public license.
* shareware - given away as a sample with the option to pay a small fee to get the full version.
* demoware - given away as a free sample of a commercial product.
* charityware - like freeware or shareware, but the user is urged to donate to a charity as “payment” if they feel motivated to.
“Pirated software”, as opposed to the above categories, is software produced by a commercial company and sold to the public under a restrictive proprietary license, which has then had its copy-protection cracked and is now being illegally resold or traded.
Originally, there was no such thing as software piracy, because programs to run on computers were simply seen as a non-income commodity. All software was free and open, with computer labs, government contractors, and college students all freely writing and sharing software. then the idea that software could be sold for money took hold, as computers matured and showed up on the home market. Many in the computing community took offense to this notion, and so there is an undercurrent of resentment and justification felt even today, along with the pure profit motive.
The original software pirates were the “Warez Kids”. These were hobbyist home computer owners who put up bulletin board systems, abbreviated to “BBS”s, for the purpose of posting free copies of cracked software titles online. The “free” part actually means that you have to upload some of your own cracked software before downloading the BBS-hosted supply, and thus this was termed a ‘ratio’ site, where typically you’d have to upload two programs for every one you downloaded.
The “Warez” name comes from a deliberate misspelling of “wares”, for software, and the “cute” misspelling of words is a distinct marker of the culture. Thus, at the same site where you obtain “warez”, you might also get “filez” (illicit copies of private documents, manuals, and such), “codez” (cheat codes for cracking software), “serialz” (serial numbers which unlock software for paid use), “numberz” (stolen credit card numbers on the side), “Pr0n” (for pornographic media) and so on. The creative typing gets much more elaborate, with permutations such as “DO0d” for dude, “1337″ for elite, etc. Much of this slang is now tracked by online references such as the famous Jargon File. Note that not everybody who types like this online is a software pirate; general Internet users have quickly adopted warez terms as a humorous irony.
Today’s permutation of the BBS culture is now the World Wide Web-hosted piracy websites, which have changed little but for the medium in which they are deployed. There is little distinction between pirated software and pirated media (such as ripped DVD movies, MP3 music files, and the like). The piracy market has moved out of basements of teenagers and become an international and mainstream business, quite possibly the world’s largest profitable business. The various laws and tolerance of different countries have ensured that the faceless software pirates online can anonymously hop their servers from one site to another, with very little hampering by authorities. For every site which gets busted, another one pops up.
In many countries outside the United States, software and especially media piracy is seen as no big deal and possibly even encouraged by their government. The prices for software in some countries are so high relative to their economy that stealing it is the only way they’d ever have it! Not to single out one country in a global problem, but a recent conference in Romania revealed that 80% of their software was cracked copies - this at a table where none less than Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft Incorporated, himself was attending! Along with Microsoft, Adobe systems media software is the other owner of the two most frequently cracked and redistributed software brands.
The drive to halt piracy is a continuing struggle. It is an arms race, in which the companies come up with increasingly more elaborate means of locking down their software and pirates come up with better and better electronic “lockpicks”. The wide variety of “zero-day” exploits, in which software is cracked and posted online on the very same day it hits the market (accompanied by much bragging by the pirate) indicates the scope of the problem.
You can work to discourage this practice by:
* bringing these pirates to justice, using international cooperation between law enforcement agencies. Much of the Internet will thank you, even if it isn’t their software that is stolen, because pirates also clog the Internet with spam and viruses.
* protect your network from linking to or visiting these sites. Amongst many, Google and other search engines remove these sites whenever they’re discovered, and various agencies online blacklist these sites as well.
* encourage the use of free and open source software and copyright-free media such as work released under the creative commons license.
Freelance writer for over eleven years.
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SECTION 409(A) and its Regulatory Cousins: What it Means for Private Companies
The IRS recently threw down the gauntlet and placed pressure on private companies to get their valuations right at no matter what stage of development they are. The Service has backed up this gesture by exposing private companies to substantial tax liabilities and penalties if they do not.
Since the enactment of Section 409(A), non-public companies have struggled with how they should establish that the exercise price of a stock option or a stock appreciation right (SAR) was determined reasonably to be fair market value. Up to this point, most private companies did not worry about valuing their stock very often, if at all. Private company valuations were needed usually for an imminent transaction, for an ESOP, or for estate and gift tax purposes. One could also throw in serious IPO candidates who obtain a valuation to avoid a “cheap stock” issue with the SEC.
Many private companies do not qualify for any of these scenarios; therefore they have not needed valuations in the past. As a result, companies and management that issue stock options could be somewhat unenthusiastic about this development. However, although a valuation in this situation can appear fairly cumbersome and superfluous, it’s not all bad - just ask auditors.
Auditors have expressed a desire for this to be done for years. They are cognizant of this development because valuing stock options is a financial reporting issue under FAS 123 and they want to know how a private company established the strike price of its options. There is some liability risk attributed to auditors when they sign off on this standard, and a professional valuation provides them with a level of reasonableness and reassurance that they desire. Considering this, there is a potential for tax and financial reporting synergy here.
With a good valuation report on hand, both issues could be satisfied simultaneously - two birds with one stone if you will. First, let’s examine the code and regulations driving this change.
Say Hello to the Culprits: IRC Section 409A requires private companies which award stock options that have exercise prices below fair market value to withhold income taxes on these grants. Significant penalties on non-complying option grants have placed private or closely held companies under increased pressure to be able to support and defend the fair market value determinations.
FASB 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. FASB 15X (Working Draft - issued October 21, 2005), Fair Value Measurements, established a framework for measuring fair value under a wide variety of accounting pronouncements that require fair value measurements.
In developing FASB 15X, the Financial Accounting Standards Board considered the need for increased consistency and comparability in estimates of fair value and enhanced disclosures about the estimates.
In most cases, when company management determines value and option pricing using an informal, internally generated valuation, the tax burden will be on the company to prove to the IRS that the fair market value of the equity is reasonable. In light of the recent regulatory changes announced over the past year, many private companies are proactively adopting one of the “presumptive” stock valuation methods set forth in the proposed regulations.
Procuring a qualified independent appraisal will cause the burden of proof to shift to the IRS and may only be rebutted by the IRS if the application of the method is found to be grossly unreasonable.
Neil Lemons represents Dallas-based Erickson Partners, LLC, http://www.ericksonpartnersllc.com, who have provided independent, accurate, defensible opinions, business valuations & appraisals for over 30 years.
Exhibitionism it’s Not (Quite) What You Think
We realize that with a title like that, you’re probably reading this article for salacious tidbits, perhaps about some celebrity or another behaving scandalously in public. In reality, it’s not quite what you think. Exhibitionism is also the art and science of getting the most out of your display at an exhibition or convention and while conventions can involve celebrities, most of the scandal comes from how poorly most exhibitors misuse their resources in an exhibit hall.
First, if you’re planning to attend a trade show or exhibit as a vendor, think back to the last few experiences you had as a consumer walking the show. You likely saw traffic patterns that moved in clumps around popular booths and saw a number of booths and displays, most of which you ignored.
Most of the logistics behind being a vendor at an exhibition is handled by the event management company if you’re thinking about hosting an exhibition by your firm or for your industry, seriously look into having professionals do it they can get venues at cheaper rates, talent, entertainment and, often, catering at discount rates because they book these facilities more often or buy in bulk, which always reduces their price. Plus, it will take less of your time chasing down the forty-one clipboards of checklists, making sure everything is done in the right order. These folks are pros for a reason and they’re worth every penny in terms of your sanity and time.
Now, as a vendor at an exhibition, your job is two fold: The first is getting people to stop by your booth and the second is getting them to stay there long enough to get information about your products and services. If your exhibition allows direct sales to consumers, you’ll want to arrange for a point of sale system.
Getting people to stop by your booth means you need to stand out from the crowd, without being annoying. Most convention halls have terrible acoustics. Having a large, looping audio visual display usually adds to the noise pollution, gets ignored by most attendees going by and will drive your booth staff barking mad before the first day is over. Plus, if it’s truly loud, you’ll offend your neighbors at the hall and might have trouble getting a good placement in next year’s show. Better ways are pop up displays and having someone knowledgeable about the product with good interpersonal skills smile and greet people as they wander by. When doing the meet and greet routine, have something funny to say, if possible, and be amiable, accepting that most people will smile back, take your flyer and shove it into their bag to look at later. Convention goers are usually scouting the hall’s early in the show.
Getting the most out of your display space means you need to know who your audience is there are roll up and pop up displays that serve as excellent backdrops for products and make good visual sight lines for customers walking the floor to see them. There are spring tension displays that are meant to stand out near the aisle to get someone’s attention. If your show has small children attending, be aware that their eye height is lower than an adult’s and put something they’ll want to see at their level, so they can drag their parents to your booth.
For a lower key display, you’ll also want to look at racks for storing merchandise or literature for customers to take with them. Most of these display stands are modular, letting you grow them as your exhibition presence changes over the years.
Before you go to a convention, draw out on graph paper what your booth layout will be like. Set it up in your garage with some tables and look at it critically ask yourself if it’s conveying the most information in the clearest fashion and have someone who isn’t associated with your company look it over as well.
Converting an interested party into a buyer requires reading body language for cues that you’ve bored them. Not everyone can be excited about each product, tailor what you’re saying to the person sitting in front of you and focus on how this product or service meets their needs. In fact, ask them up front what sorts of products or services they need, either for themselves or for their retail establishment and use that to your advantage in what you tell them about your products.
With a bit of practice, you can make a person sitting at your booth to rest their feet do the bulk of the thinking needed to sell them a product or service.
At http://www.odysseyexhibitions.co.uk we offer exhibition modular panels, hanging banners, shell scheme graphics, pop-up stands or a showroom with exterior signage is right first time, on time and within the exhibit budget.
A New Great Approach to Corporate Branding
There are a growing number of companies who are now paying more keen attention in creating and maintaining a strong corporate brand. They are decidedly taking a leaf out of the experts books, from big conglomerates that have valiantly stayed at the top position through the year amid the stiff competition ensued by other key players in the industry. In the marketing world, the newest ingredient for success is by developing a brand platform, which is said to be the ultimate springboard for every branding decision.
The companys brand platform is basically the very essence of what the product brands stand for. It is a strategically an innovative approach to corporate branding based on a set of statements that will encompass the identity of your company, what it is all about, its products and services, and its mission and goals. Although there are varying approaches to formulating a branding platform depending on the type of business, it vitally has these common elements:
Mission
The primary effective approach to corporate branding is to be able to come up with a set of driving philosophy of your business. It should be succinct and clear in expressing the companys purpose, the products features and benefits, your target market and the advantages that would back you up in view of the tough competition. Make sure that your mission statement will be brief but written in a very compelling way.
Identity Attributes
These are the list of the core attributes of your brand, the key words or phrases that you want your clients to associate with your company, products or services you offer. These features should stand out from the rest of the competitors and should resonate the specific preferences of your target market. A great example of this is the word safety, which most consumers would readily associate with FedEx. The company basically owns the word.
Value Proposition
Another efficient approach to corporate branding is by coming up with a set of your companys competitive advantages over and above other adversaries in the industry. The value proposition will mainly inform your consumers of the main benefits if they choose you product brand from the rest of other competing brands.
Brand Story
It is important to be able to record the humble history of the organization, and chronicle the grueling way on how you were able to survive in the industry through the years. This unconventional approach to corporate branding will help you build a powerful reputation, backed up with valuable years of experience. Everybody loves a good story, and your companys public relations will certainly benefit by sharing your own unique success story.
You have spent a great deal of your resources time, energy and money to develop your business offerings and ensure quality and customer satisfaction. There is growth in your business and to further this growth, your brand needs to be strong and sound. You need a unified branding strategy that will include all your business operations, communications and dealings. This is where corporate banding consulting firms can help.
T J Madigan has been established in online business since 1998 and is director of a number of successful online projects one of which is http://www.articles.net.au your best source for FREE and private label articles.
