David Worrell's blog

Inconsistent Messages Kill a $1B Dollar Business

Posted June 3, 2011 - 7:14am by David Worrell

The Girl Scouts of America is learning an important business lesson this week, as a couple of pissed-off teenagers are jeopardizing their billion dollar cookie empire. It's a business lesson worth learning.

The problem? GSA preaches ecology and good stewardship of the planet, but each year it sells 198 million boxes of cookies made with apparent disregard for the rain forest and endangered species. In short, the GSA is not putting it's money where it's mouth is.

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Hit By a Bus

Posted May 5, 2011 - 8:37am by David Worrell

AmeriStart - Business Paperwork

It doesn't make for pleasant conversation, but it happens every day...
Business owners die.

And even as they pass on to the great balance sheet in the sky, their worldly business goes on... for better or worse.

I call this the "hit by a bus" problem, and it's something we will all face:

What will happen to your company if you get hit by a bus?

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More is More: Marketing Lessons from the Mustard Shelf

Posted April 19, 2011 - 10:02am by David Worrell

AmeriStart - Marketing Lessons from the Mustard Shelf Sometimes going to the grocery store drives me crazy. American stores -- like "Super Target" -- stock so many products that consumers can drown in the choices.

This weekend I wanted to buy some mustard. Simple, right?

Not so simple. The mustard shelf was 8 feet high and 10 feet long. 80-square-feet of mustard. There was no less than 7 different kinds of Dijon Mustard from just one brand. The entire shelf of less exotic mustards seemed endless.

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Please don't call America: We're sleeping

Posted March 22, 2011 - 8:56am by David Worrell

What a great picture! Harvard Business Review took a good look at international time zones recently. They created a great graphical representation of the work day. And what it shows may surprise you.

In short, the graphic shows why America is a Time Island. Our work day in the USA overlaps almost none of the rest of the global business world.

What's it mean? Two things:

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Killing a Great Brand Name: How Administaff Alienated its Best Prospects

Posted March 21, 2011 - 9:57am by David Worrell

There are few companies that I love, but Administaff was one.

Why? Because they did exactly what their brand name says -- they took care of all the administration of my staff, including HR, payroll, benefits, liabilities, hiring, compensation, etc. Administaff was my trusted partner & PEO (Professional Employer Organization).

But now Administaff is gone.

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The REAL cost of an employee

Posted March 4, 2011 - 9:41am by David Worrell

If you are ready to hire an employee in the USA, do you know what it will cost?

Salary is one thing -- the salary of a senior sales person in life science, for example, can run as high as $180,000 per year plus commissions.

But there are costs other than salary. And those costs can really add up.

Watch this very short video for an explanation of why an employee making $40,000 salary actually costs $70,000 !

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65% Lose Money on International Market Entry

Posted January 25, 2011 - 10:37am by David Worrell

This week I discovered some disturbing information. My marketing team conducted a poll on LinkedIn.com. We asked companies what they expected from an investment in a foreign market entry. Specifically:

"What return on investment would you expect from the first year of a marketing campaign in a foreign country?"

Shockingly, more than 65% said they expect a neutral or NEGATIVE return on investment.

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Is Email Dead?

Posted December 15, 2010 - 9:48am by David Worrell

If you've hesitated to develop a more comprehensive marketing strategy ... If you've resisted the so-called "social media marketing"... please let me relay an important story to you.

A few weeks ago I spoke with a young woman who was preparing to go to work at her first job. She had a college degree. She had an iPhone. She was smart and hip and connected... and she did not know how to use eMail.

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The $52 Piece of Tape ... and the $20 piece of trash

Posted December 11, 2010 - 5:49pm by David Worrell

AmeriStart - Connect with your prospects I’m on a rip today folks… got a bee in my bonnet and a twist in my shorts. Can I tell you why?

So many smart people missing such golden opportunities. Big, smart companies that just don’t seem to get it.

The opportunities? A chance to really connect with their prospects. To go above and beyond (at zero extra cost), and win new customers with almost no additional effort.

But instead, they are stuck in a “me me me me me world” and don’t have a clue of the power of these opportunities.