Sales and Marketing Career News and Advice by FINS.com

How Many Tweets Does it Take to Sell Something?

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:50:27 -0500

To tweet or not to tweet? People in the business of selling goods and services are increasingly wondering if it's worth communicating with the 140 million users on Twitter, the short message broadcast service.

With so many users, Twitter is filled with infinite potential sales leads, said Andrew Hunt, 34, founder of the Canadian solutions company Inbound Sales Network, which provides sales and marketing strategies to other salespeople. "It's important to know how to get the most out of the time you spend on the site."

One way to use the site, of course, is to build your own set of followers by tweeting and replying to other people's tweets. Hunt, for instance, has built up a following of more than 55,000 folks on Twitter. The more followers you have, the more likely one will turn into a sales lead.

“
No one cares what kind of toilet paper I use
”

"You need to look for experts in your industry and connect with those people as well as the people following them," said Hunt. "You need to contribute to other people's Twitter conversations. That's the best way to establish yourself rather than just mass-following everyone to make your numbers look good."

Salespeople should mostly tweet useful information for those in the regions and industries they serve, said Hunt. Forget random musings and self-promotion. "Once you have people's attention, it's easier to contact them for business," said Hunt.

An Artful Tweet

Lori McNee, an artist from Ketchum, Idaho, joined Twitter in 2009 and began tweeting about art, animals, healthy foods and social media's favorite topic -- social media. She later found that she could also use Twitter to sell her work by directing followers to her blog and the galleries that carry her work.

"In the past year I've sold a few thousand dollars worth of art through the site," said McNee, who has more than 49,000 Twitter followers. "Still, there's a necessary balancing act between promoting your product and building relationships with people," she said. "You have to be cautious about not turning off your followers or they'll stop following you."

To find customers directly, use Twitter's advanced search function to locate people looking for your particular product or service, said Tim Sobocinski, 37, a regional vice president of sales for the Chicago software-as-a-service company The SAVO Group, which has 1,824 Twitter followers.

"Everyday people are sending out messages on Twitter saying, 'I need help with a problem'," said Sobocinski.

In 2010 Sobocinski was scrolling through his company's Twitter feed and spotted a tweet from a former colleague, Dan Schleifer, who was working as a product marketing director at Trustwave, a Chicago data security firm. Schleifer had helped his company build an internal wiki platform, but the information on that wiki was cumbersome and difficult for the company's sales team to use, Sobocinski said.

Problem Tweeting

"Dan tweeted his frustration, followed by another message asking for help," he said. "Discovering those tweets allowed me to directly message him through the site and let him know that that is something we deal with everyday."

A few days later SAVO Group closed a deal with Trustwave's sales team to help them set up a new internal system for the company and its 500 employees. That business exchange led to Schleifer joining SAVO in April 2011 to head the company's marketing team, Sobocinski said.

Some companies are using Twitter to sell directly to consumers via the PayPal payments service. Minneapolis-based record label Rhymesayers Entertainment is in the process of setting up a Twitter-based sales platform to sell CDs, vinyl records, concert tickets and merchandise from its online store.

"We've been looking for a way to offer direct-to-consumer sales through Twitter, so this makes perfect sense," said Jake Schaefer, 30, marketing director and publicist for Rhymesayers. Rhymesayers has over 42,000 Twitter followers and plans send out tweets to sell tickets for the label's next round of tours and album releases.

Not everyone is a Twitter fan. Alan Canton, 64, a life, health and disability insurance rep in Fair Oaks, Calif., said he found using Twitter a waste of time.

"These days more people in sales are afraid of the sales process--getting out there and talking to strangers," Canton said. "Many of them are constantly getting ready to get ready. Twitter doesn't help with that." Canton relies mostly on networking with people at charity events and other meet-and-greets.

"I sell to everyone from Ma and Pa Kettle to C-suite executives," he said. "None of them care what brand of toilet paper I use, or what I just fed my cat, or what I just read. They want to know how I can help them individually."

Twitter declined to comment.

Write to Damian.Ghigliotty at Damian.Ghigliotty@dowjones.com

P&G's New Marketing Team

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:31:20 -0500

It's only natural when an exec steps down for changes in the organization to take place. So it goes at Procter & Gamble, which plans to revamp its PR department with the retirement in June of Global External Relations Officer Christopher Hassall.

The consumer goods giant will shrink the PR team by 400 to 800 employees who will focus on consumer marketing activities such as email response and social media, according to Ad Age. The slimmed-down group will report to Global Brand-Building Officer Marc Pritchard.

The move won't result in job cuts, reports Marketing Week. Communications staff working in regulatory and technical matters will move into research and development, while others in government affairs will move into the legal department.

P&G has been cutting costs by slowing its spending on marketing to save $1 billion over five years. P&G Chief Financial Officer Jon Moeller told Wall Street analysts and investors Wednesday that the company also will rein in its expansion in emerging markets. P&G plans to shift spending to its 40 largest product lines, including razor blades, laundry and diapers. Those lines of business account for 50% of the company's sales, and are mainly in North America and China.

Sales Buzz

Finding the Right Sales Job (FINS)

Finding the right sales job hinges on four key decisions: Should you work B2B or B2C, should you bring in deals or close sales in an existing account, are you a phone salesperson or a field salesperson and do you take a commission-only job or look for one that offers a minimum salary?

Carrefour's New CEO (Chain Store Age)

Carrefour, the world's second largest retailer, has a new chief executive. Chief executive Lars Olofsson retired Wednesday. He will be succeeded by former chief operating officer, Georges Plassat.

PayPal Partners with Retailers (Consumerist)

PayPal expanding into offline payments. The service has rolled out new payment options with 15 retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, Foot Locker, and J.C. Penney.

Flat Jewels (WSJ)

Tiffany & Co. reported flat profit of $81.5 million for the first quarter, prompting it to reduce its sales and profit forecast for the year. The company remains on track to add 24 stores for the fiscal year 2012, including stores in Manhattan's SoHo area and in Singapore's Changi Airport.

Macy's Looks East (Reuters)

Macy's has partnered with a new Chinese online retailer Omei.com, to sell its goods through a Macy's-specific section on the Chinese website. The U.S. department store chain has also invested $15 million in Chinese e-commerce firm and Omei.com's parent company, VIPStore.

Marketing Buzz

Marriott Seeks New Ad Agency (AdWeek)

Marriott International is considering a new agency to handle advertising for flagship brand, Marriott Hotels & Resorts. The brand's annual media spending is estimated at $15 million and is currently handled by mcgarrybowen in New York.

Omnicom Acquires adam & eve (Marketing Week)

London-based communications firm adam & eve has been acquired by Omnicom's DDB Worldwide. The combined agency will be called adam & eve/DDB and will be the UK's sixth largest agency by revenue.

Google+ Driving More Engagement (eMarketer)

Brands are seeing more consumer engagement on Google+. As of May 7, 2012, at least 5,000 people had added 35% of Interbrand's top 100 brands to their "circles," up from 21% as of February 7.

Buzz Around the Office

Nine Year Old Shames School with Blog (Gawker)

A nine year old's blog prompted her school cafeteria to start offering healthier food options.

List of the Day: Focusing at Work

Problems at home may threaten to derail your life at work. Don't let them.

1. Adhere to a specific schedule or to-list.

2. Don't vent to colleagues. Stewing can make problems worse.

3. Don't take personal calls at work.

(Source: CBS Money Watch)

Finding the Right Sales Job

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:47:15 -0500

All sales jobs are not created equal nor are the people who win them. Your success in sales will be largely determined by whether you have a job that best fits your personality. Finding the right job requires the four key decisions below:

Decision #1: B2B or B2C?

There's a world of difference between selling business to business (B2B) and selling business to consumer (B2C).

B2B requires specialized knowledge about your company's industry and the industry into which you're selling. It generally involves diagnosing a customer's challenges and then coming up with a customized solution. Corporate buying decisions are often made by committee, which means you must feel comfortable working with a diverse group of decision makers, influencers, stakeholders, and naysayers. A B2B deal entails weeks or even months of intermittent activity--meetings, phone calls, back-and-forth documents--as the deal moves through the customer's bureaucracy.

By contrast, selling B2C is mostly a matter of knowing your product and being able to "read"a customer. B2C sales are faster-paced and easier to manage. They are usually completed in a day (or a week at most), and when consumers buy a product, typically there are only one or two decision makers (like a husband and wife).

More from Geoffrey James

How to Ace the Sales Job Interview

However, in today's wired-up world, most consumer products are sold online, with only occasional intervention from live salespeople. And with the exception of big ticket items (like cars, boats, houses, and furniture), B2C selling generally means lower wages. There's simply more money to be had in B2B selling.

Bottom line: If you enjoy meeting new people and don't mind the relatively low pay, look for a B2C sales position. If you've got business smarts, industry experience, and plenty of patience, look for a B2B sales position.

Decision #2: Hunter or Farmer?

The term "hunter"refers to a salesperson who brings deals and closes them. The term "farmer"refers to a salesperson who grows sales inside an account after that account is already a customer.

In the wild world of professional selling, the "hunters"get most of the attention and most of the glory. This is partly because popular culture invariably pictures salespeople in the hunter role, such as Al Pacino's character in the movie "Glengarry Glen Ross"or Will Smith's character in "The Pursuit of Happyness."Business culture echoes this prejudice, especially in companies where corporate growth is defined as "acquiring new customers.?

Ironically, in many companies the "farmers"book more business, and the business they book is often more profitable. As a general rule, it's much easier (and less expensive) to sell to existing customers than it is to prospect and cultivate new opportunities.

Most companies have a combination of hunters and farmers. The hunters spend the majority of their time cold calling, qualifying prospects, investigating needs, writing proposals, presenting, and closing. The farmers, by contrast, spend the majority of their time developing long-term relationships, fixing problems, and hand-holding through installation and support issues.

Bottom line: If you're naturally gregarious, resilient, and aggressive, look for a classic hunter job. If, by contrast, you tend to be thoughtful, empathic, and detail-oriented, you'll probably be happier as a farmer.

Decision #3: Inside or Outside?

With "inside"sales, you do your selling primarily over the phone or maybe using Web conferencing. You may initiate opportunities by cold calling, or you may field inquiries generated from a website or even from a customer service request.

With "outside"sales (aka the "field sales?) you may do some initial phone work to book a sales call, but you'll generally be making those calls in person at the buyer's place of business. These are the classic "road warrior"sales jobs.

Inside selling is all about how your voice communicates a personality across a telephone line. If you're going to be successful at it, you must have the gift of sounding credible, helpful and knowledgeable, even if you're sitting at home in your pajamas.

Outside selling also requires a "good voice"because it entails making plenty of phone calls. Beyond that, though, it requires in-person people skills, a professional appearance, and a willingness to tolerate the inevitable hassles of business travel.

Before you decide which is right for you, be forewarned that there are a lot more inside sales jobs available than outside ones. According to Dr. James Oldroyd, a professor at the leading Korean business school, SKK GSB, in recent years corporate hiring of outside sales reps has leveled off at 0.5% annual growth, while hiring of inside sales reps has been growing at a lively 7.5% annual clip.

Bottom line: If you're basically attractive, dress well, and enjoy traveling on an expense account, look for a job in outside sales. (Good luck!) If you'd just as soon stay close to home (or even work from home), an inside sales job is a better fit.

Decision #4: Commission or Draw?

Classic sales jobs are "commission only."If you don't sell, you don't eat. However, most sales jobs aren't so harsh, and you get a draw (aka a minimum salary) that acts as a safety net.

The big money is always in the commission-only jobs. It's a simple matter of risk/reward. You're taking on more risk (and your employer, less risk), so you get more reward when you succeed.

If you're going to be successful at working commission-only, you'll need to be a bit of a shark. "Sharks tend to hunt alone, aren't afraid of stealing food from other sharks, are subject to feeding frenzy with a hot prospect and they need to keep moving to keep eating,"explains Jeffrey Gitomer, author of the classic how-to-sell book, The Sales Bible.

Commission-only sales jobs tend to be high stress and demanding. If you're not careful, they can eat up your every waking moment, because the more you sell, well, the more you sell. They also require a lot of personal flexibility. You'll need to be self-directed, a self-starter, and a natural entrepreneur who's ready to jump to a different firm if that's where the action is.

Sales jobs that include a draw tend to have less churn, more stability, and a standard benefit package. You'll make less money than you would on straight commission, but you're probably not going to get fired (or starve) if you have the occasional bad quarter.

Bottom line: If you can handle the pressure and are confident in your ability to sell, go for a commission-only sales job. If you're just getting started in sales or aren't sure you can make the cut, look for a sales job that pays a draw.

BIO: Geoffrey James is an award-winning journalist and author of Inc.com's daily Sales Source column. Previously, he wrote Sales Machine, the world's most-visited sales-oriented blog. James has written hundreds of articles on sales and marketing and has helped thousands of sales professionals communicate more effectively. His newly published book is "How to Say It: Business to Business Selling" (Prentice Hall, 2011).

Write to Geoffrey James through GeoffreyJames.com.

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HuffPo's Marketing Shakeup

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:31:16 -0500

The Huffington Post Media Group is shaking up its sales and marketing team.
Janet Balis has been appointed as its first publisher as part of a push by the group to develop new strategies to collaborate with marketers, reports Ad Age.
Previously, Balis served as senior VP for sales strategy, marketing and partnerships for AOL Advertising. She recently told Ad Age that the Huffington Post has been talking to ad agencies and marketers about helping brands build, populate and distribute websites, as well as optimize their content for search engines.
Balis confirmed that the Huffington Post is working to create a website for a "major consumer-goods advertiser." Employees from the group's social-marketing team will create new content for the brand's website, while curating relevant Huffington Post content that currently exists.
While the Huffington Post's move is a rarity among media companies, some of which already help brands create content on the publishers' own sites, but not elsewhere on the web. If successful, the group's initiative could spur others in the space to move to help brands publish their own content.
The group has also hired Moritz Loew to lead a team of sales specialists on Huffington Post-specific initiatives. He had been chief agency officer and general manager for sales at MSNBC Digital.
Jim Norton, AOL's head of sales, will now report directly to Chief Executive Tim Armstrong and will serve on a new executive committee, reports Ad Week. Ned Brody will return to Advertising.com to serve as CEO, less than 12 months after he left the site to become AOL's chief revenue officer.
Sales Buzz
Favorite Supermarkets (Chain Store Age)
Giant-Landover and ShopRite are shoppers' two favorite supermarkets says a new survey of over 6,000 U.S. and Canadian consumers. Among others that ranked high were discount grocer Aldi for its prices, Wal-Mart for its convenience and Publix for its atmosphere and courteous staff.
Know Your Target (Fast Company)
Salespeople take note: Know your target group. "A target group is as much about focus as it is about knowing what to rule out," writes Martin Lindstrom, author of Buyology. "In reality, the more narrow the focus, the more concisely the aspirational target group is defined, the broader it becomes. It's one of branding's strange paradoxes."
More Stores for Burberry (WSJ)
Burberry will increase its retail space 12% to 14% in fiscal 2013, with a focus on larger stores. Despite the downturn, luxury retailers and Burberry in particular have been showing strong growth buoyed by emerging markets and tourists in Europe.
Martha Stewart Returns (WSJ)
Martha Stewart has been elected nonexecutive chairman of her eponymous company, eight years after she resigned amid allegations that she obstructed justice and lied to investigators about a stock sale.
Marketing Buzz
WPP's Microsoft Ad Deal (NYT)
WPP has struck a deal with Microsoft whereby brands in the WPP group can advertise on Microsoft-owned websites, while Microsoft and its ad partners will have access to brands and content publishers that partner with WPP.
Motorola Mobility's New CMO (Ad Age)
Gary Briggs, former Google VP-consumer marketing, will replace Bill Ogle as Motorola Mobility's new chief marketer. The appointment comes days after Google acquired the company and CEO Sanjay Jha stepped down to make way for Google's former Americas president, Dennis Woodside.
JWT's New Creative Heads (Ad Week)
JWT's New York office has two new chief creative officers: JWT veteran Matt MacDonald and newcomer Ryan Kutscher. The creative department employs about 125 staffers, and holds accounts like Macy's, Smirnoff and Johnson & Johnson.
It's Free Isn't It? (Marketing Week)
It's not enough to offer consumers free samples: Marketers must consider location, incentives and even the attractiveness of staff when planning sampling activity, says a new survey.
Buzz Around the Office
World's Longest Mustache (BBC)
The Guinness World Records holder for the world's longest mustache (4.29 meters or 14 feet) offers grooming tips.
List of the Day: Putting It Out There
You may be forced to social network sooner rather than later. But don't make these mistakes.
1. Complain all the time on all your networks.
2. Share too much personal information.
3. Post inappropriate pictures.
(Source: Forbes)


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Martha Stewart Returns

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:41:14 -0500

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. elected founder Martha Stewart as nonexecutive chairman, eight years after she resigned amid charges that she obstructed justice and lied to investigators about a stock sale.
Stewart, who rejoined the board in September, succeeds Charles Koppelman. In 2010, Stewart resumed an executive role at the company, as its chief editorial, media and content officer.
"Nobody cares more deeply or is more committed to the company and its future than Martha Stewart," said lead director Arlen Kantarian. "We're delighted to have her back on the board and now as nonexecutive chairman."
Stewart was convicted in 2004 on several counts of obstruction of justice related to her sale of ImClone Systems stock, and served jail time. As part of a settlement made with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2006, she was barred for five years from serving as director of a public company, and also had limitations on her employment.
The company she founded, which publishes magazines and books, produces television programming and designs merchandise, has been unprofitable for the last nine years except for 2007. While its merchandising arm has been strengthening, its publishing and broadcasting divisions have suffered amid broad advertising market woes.
"I look forward to working closely with our directors and our management team as we focus on the future, capitalizing on the strength of our brand and our amazing customer connection to continue building our business so that it realizes its full and considerable potential," said Stewart.
This story first appeared on WSJ.com
Write to Kristin Jones at kristin.jones@dowjones.com


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Cautionary Tale About a CEO's Office Romance

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:15:37 -0500

At the recent annual meeting of medical-device maker Stryker Corp., Chairman William U. Parfet puzzled attendees when he began with a brief statement about former Chief Executive Stephen P. MacMillan, who was pushed out two months earlier.
"Just to clarify, on behalf of the board of directors, we'd like to clearly state that Steve never violated any company policy nor any code of conduct," Parfet said at the meeting April 24.
It wasn't clear why he made the comment--Stryker had said in February that the CEO was leaving for "family reasons"--and Parfet didn't explain.
The circumstances, pieced together from interviews with people who had direct knowledge of the events, offer a cautionary tale about how an office romance and resulting concerns about credibility could bring down a well-regarded CEO.
MacMillan, 48 years old, was forced out partly because certain board members became bothered by his handling of a relationship with a former flight attendant for the company's corporate jets while his wife pursued a divorce, according to people familiar with the matter.
What distinguishes his story from others in this well-worn genre is that, according to a person familiar with MacMillan's version of events, the CEO approached Parfet and Louise Francesconi, head of the board's governance and nominating committee, in late September seeking their approval to date the employee, Jennifer Koch.
The two directors said that same day that he could so long as she quit, two people familiar with the matter said. Stryker declined to comment.
The 41-year-old flight attendant, a divorced mother of two, left a few weeks later and began dating MacMillan. But the CEO's unusual deal fell apart amid suspicions the relationship had begun before she left, people familiar with the matter said.
The board hired a lawyer to investigate, and while he turned up no evidence of wrongdoing, MacMillan had lost the confidence of some directors and was forced to resign, a person familiar with the matter said.
MacMillan now is vying for a senior management spot at Johnson & Johnson, the health-care giant where he spent 11 years, people familiar with the matter said. J&J declined to comment.
Parfet's statement at the annual meeting was prompted by other Stryker directors who believed MacMillan was treated unfairly, people familiar with the situation said. That the CEO lost his job shows how, in the rough and tumble world of boardroom politics, workplace romances can create vulnerabilities that prove hard to manage.
Directors are paying closer attention than ever to CEOs' personal behavior, worried about their companies' reputations. "A quick photo shot with a phone or a search through Twitter or Facebook can turn up embarrassment or liability," said Freada Klein, a work-bias researcher.
In MacMillan's case, anonymous comments about his life were posted on Cafepharma.com, an industry message board, for weeks before his resignation. On Jan. 17, one poster wrote, "Who knows what the board think [sic] of his new girlfriend."
Parfet, Stryker's independent lead director until he assumed the chairmanship from Mr. MacMillan, played a pivotal role in the former CEO's success--and his departure, people familiar with the matter said. He recruited Mr. MacMillan to be Stryker's president and chief operating officer in 2003 from Pharmacia Corp., where Parfet was a director. John Brown, Stryker's CEO at the time, said Parfet told him, "This guy is really good." Eighteen months later, MacMillan succeeded Brown as CEO.
MacMillan won accolades for keeping Stryker's performance steady as the market for orthopedics stalled amid federal probes and the economic downturn. Stryker, a maker of equipment ranging from replacement hips and knees to operating tables and bone saws, earned $1.35 billion last year, up 5.7% from 2010. Directors gave MacMillan stock grants worth $6.7 million in 2011, along with unlimited personal use of the corporate plane.
Last summer, Mr. MacMillan separated from his wife, Amy, after 24 years of marriage.
He decided not to date Ms. Koch until his divorce proceedings were under way and he had obtained board approval, said people familiar with his version of events. He had seen too many CEOs brought down for inappropriate behavior, a person familiar with his thinking said.
Mr. MacMillan's troubles began on Dec. 12, when someone called a Stryker hotline with an anonymous complaint that Stryker had terminated an employee for having an affair with Mr. MacMillan while the CEO enjoyed preferential treatment, people familiar with the matter said.
The board hired Mark P. Goodman, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, to investigate the claim. Goodman analyzed more than a year of Mr. MacMillan's expense reports and discovered just one mistake, the people said. A human-resources executive had been listed as his guest during a nearly $200 dinner at a hotel dining room in Dubai, when instead the CEO had dined with Koch, the people said.
The dinner took place in January 2011, before MacMillan separated from his wife and asked for permission to date Koch, the people said.
On Dec. 23, Mr. Parfet grilled each of MacMillan's lieutenants about whether they thought the CEO's romance had begun sooner than he had said, one person familiar with the matter said. Two vice presidents said they thought it had, the person said.
Three days later, Parfet confronted MacMillan in the CEO's office, people familiar with the situation recall. Certain executives "find you divisive," Parfet said, and questioned whether MacMillan had shown good judgment in dating a former employee, according to people familiar with the matter.
Goodman reported to the full board at a special meeting in Atlanta on Jan. 7. He said he had found no improper use of company assets nor any evidence of an affair before Koch quit, said a person familiar with the meeting. Goodman didn't return calls for comment.
Still, MacMillan felt his support on the board slipping away.
Ronda E. Stryker, granddaughter of the company's founder and its biggest individual shareholder, remained upset that the still-married CEO was having an affair with the ex-employee, a person familiar with the matter said. Some other directors criticized MacMillan at the meeting for causing dissension by questioning whether Parfet was trying to drive him out, another person familiar with the matter said. Stryker didn't reply to requests for comment.
"I am prepared to still run this company," MacMillan said during the board's next meeting, in February, according to a person who was there. "But if you guys want to make a change, I will offer my resignation."
Stryker announced the CEO's resignation on Feb. 8. The company treated his departure as a "termination without cause."
This story first appeared on WSJ.com
Write to Joann S. Lublin at joann.lublin@wsj.com and Christopher Weaver at christopher.weaver@wsj.com


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General Mills To Chop 850 Jobs

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:31:09 -0500

General Mills will cut 850 jobs--or about 2.4% of its global workforce--as part of a larger restructuring plan to generate cost savings, reports Dow Jones Newswires.
About half of the cuts will be in Minneapolis, where General Mills is based. Administrative and support positions will be most affected.
The packaged goods giant, home to brands like Cheerios, Yoplait and Betty Crocker, is struggling in an economy where consumers are visiting supermarkets less and buying fewer products when they do.
Competitors ConAgra Foods and Campbell Soup are also finding it harder to sell more products, as budget-conscious U.S. consumers balk at price increases brought about by rising commodity costs.
In March, General Mills reported lower third-quarter earnings, as sales volume declined and higher costs dampened profit margins.
The company currently has just two U.S. sales openings advertised on its website, and six marketing openings, three of which are for interns.
Sales Buzz
Best Buy Profit Falls (WSJ)
On Tuesday, Best Buy reported that it has closed 41 of its 50 big box stores. The electronics retailer posted a 25% drop in first-quarter earnings, but showed strength in online sales and its mobile-phone segment.
M&S Profit Drops (WSJ)
Marks & Spencer reported a drop in full-year profit in the face of slowing sales on the U.K. high street, which fell 6.4% in the three months leading up to May. The retailer also scaled back its revenue growth targets to an increase of between 1.1 billion pounds and 1.7 billion pounds by 2013.
American Eagle Loses CFO (WSJ)
American Eagle Outfitters Chief Financial Officer Joan Hilson is stepping down. Scott Hurd, the retailer's vice president and controller, will handle Hilson's duties until a permanent replacement is found.
Tesco CEO Halves Pay (WSJ)
Tesco Chief Executive Philip Clarke has waived his $589,025 annual bonus in a move that has almost halved his pay. Some 5,000 top managers at the U.K.'s largest retailer by sales will also have their bonuses cut 83% compared with a year ago.
Williams-Sonoma Hires Martha Stewart Exec (Retailing Today)
Williams-Sonoma has hired Anna Last, formerly editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's Everyday Food, to be its executive creative director and a senior vice president.
Marketing Buzz
Saatchi Bolsters NY Team (Ad Week)
Saatchi & Saatchi has moved its world-wide digital creative director, Tom Eslinger, from London to New York. The agency also has given New York Chief Strategy Officer Claudine Cheever responsibility for Latin America and Canada.
Facebook Users Ignore Ads (eMarketer)
Marketers take note: Your Facebook ad spending may not be paying off. According to a poll this month by the Associated Press and CNBC, 83% of U.S. Facebook users hardly ever or never clicked on online ads or sponsored content on the social-media site.
Wal-Mart is Most Valuable Retail Brand (Ad Age)
Wal-Mart has edged out competitor Amazon as the brand leader in retail, according to Millward Brown Optimor's 2012 BrandZ survey. Overall, Apple ranked as the world's most valuable brand, followed by IBM and then Google.
Facebook's Dubai Ad Push (Zawya Dow Jones)
Facebook will open a new office in Dubai, initially hiring just three people to drive advertising revenue from the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
Buzz Around the Office
Panda-Suited Conservationists (22 Words)
Chinese researchers dress in panda suits to help a 21-month-old panda and its mother transfer to their new home in the wild.
List of the Day: Undermining Yourself
You won't need enemies if you do these things to yourself in the office. You'll damage your own career.
1. End every declarative sentence with a question mark.
2. Come to work to bond, not succeed.
3. Work for less than what you're worth.
(Source: Forbes)


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Marketing Execs a Distracted Bunch

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:01:23 -0500

Constant distraction has become something of the norm in ad land.
These days the average marketing and advertising executive is only able to work on a single task for 30 minutes without being interrupted, one staffing firm found after surveying 500 executives at small to medium-size agencies.
The Creative Group, which specializes in recruiting interactive, design and marketing talent, said the biggest cause of distraction for those executives is other people stopping by to talk. Among the 500 executives surveyed, 27% said they are unable to focus for very long due to interruptions from their colleagues.
The other main distractions that keep marketing executives from focusing on a single task for more than 30 minutes are phone calls, email alerts, instant and text messages, and social media activity.
"Every workplace has its share of distractions these days," said Greg Detter, vice president of The Creative Group, a unit of global recruiting firm Robert Half International. "Since advertising is so collaborative and fast-paced by nature it lends itself to constant interruptions."
The advancement of digital technology and social media has exacerbated the level of at-work distractions in recent years, he said.
Detter suggests marketing executives group tasks that are similar in function, so they won't need to change gears as frequently. He also said those in advertising should put off small talk and unrelated social media activity for set times throughout the day. "There are tactful ways to focus on your work without coming off as unsociable or unlikeable," he said.
Brian Mitchinson, senior vice president of marketing at digital advertising agency Blast Radius, said he rarely allows his work to be interrupted.
"If it's a bleeding neck wound situation and I can sense the urgency, I'll let myself be distracted," said Mitchinson, 45. "Otherwise I don't answer the phone and I definitely won't go on Facebook or Twitter while I'm working on a project.
"I adhere to a model that I call the lightening strike model," he said. "You should try to build up to an impactful moment with any project you're working on."
Blast Radius, which employs about 500 people, wasn't included in the Creative Group survey. Mitchinson said that interruptions may be a bigger issue at small firms where employees are expected to take on more roles at once.
"Regardless of your work environment there are always ways to work around the distractions," he said. "I can't imagine how I could be successful without working on one task for more than 30 minutes."
Write to Damian Ghigliotty at Damian.Ghigliotty@dowjones.com


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Dump Entire Wal-Mart Board?

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:59:00 -0500

The California State Teachers' Retirement System plans to vote against Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s directors in an upcoming shareholder meeting, amid widening impacts from allegations of corruption at the company's Mexico operations.
CalSTRS, which owns about 5.3 million shares, worth $313.5 million, said it planned to vote against the entire board, saying Wal-Mart executives had breached their fiduciary responsibilities by failing to respond to signs of a pattern of unethical conduct in the company's foreign operations. CNBC initially reported Monday that the group intended to vote its shares against the board.
Wal-Mart said that it opened an investigation of its Mexican operations after the New York Times published a lengthy article reporting that Wal-Mart executives learned in 2005 of allegations of "widespread bribery" designed to smooth the way for the company's rapid expansion in that country.
CalSTRS said it believes that beyond failing to respond adequately, "Wal-Mart leadership actively suppressed an internal investigation which would have brought these improper actions to light."
The shareholder group is encouraging other investors to vote against the entire board's re-election.
Corporate governance firm Institutional Shareholders Service has recommended voting against four members of the board, including Chief Executive Mike Duke and former Chief Executive H. Lee Scott.
This story first appeared on WSJ.com
-By Kristin Jones; Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2208; kristin.jones@dowjones.com


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Waterstones' Amazon Alliance is Risky Business

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:31:05 -0500

You've heard the saying keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. It would appear so has Waterstones.
Britain's largest bookstore retail chain has struck a deal to sell Amazon Kindle digital readers in stores across the U.K., in a move that some say could cannibalize its sales and jeopardize the job security of its some 4,500 book sellers.
"It's very dangerous because you bring the fiercest player in the space into your house," Matteo Berlucchi, chief executive of Anobii, a London-based e-book retailer told The Wall Street Journal. "It's opening the doors to your enemy."
However, Waterstones Managing Director James Daunt told The Journal that British readers are migrating to digital reading anyway. "We may accelerate that process, but only slightly," he said.
In sealing the deal with Waterstones, Amazon has beaten rival Barnes & Noble, which makes rival e-book reader Nook, and is also looking to enter international markets. The deal will bring Amazon's Kindle to all of the British chain's 294 shops in September.
The announcement comes about three months after Waterstones was the subject of a Guardian investigation for employing unpaid jobseekers at its stores as part of a government work experience scheme. The chain is currently revamping itself, after Russian financier Alexander Mamut paid $83.8 million last year to purchase it from HMV Group.
Sales Buzz
American Eagle to Sell Kids Biz (Retailing Today)
American Eagle Outfitters is selling its children's business. On Friday, the company announced it is exploring a full or partial sale of 77kids.
Build a Home Depot Career (FINS)
We've all heard the story about the mailroom clerk rising to become the chief executive of a big corporation. At Home Depot, it's doable.
Spencer Stuart In Best Buy CEO Search (Dow Jones Newswires)
Search firm Spencer Stuart will lead Best Buy's chief executive search. The electronic retailer last month formed a search committee headed by the nominating committee's chairwoman, Kathy Higgins Victor, to oversee a search for internal and external candidates, including interim CEO Mike Mikan.
In It to Win It (Ad Age)
J.C. Penney Chief Executive Ron Johnson and President Michael Francis have committed to the retailer for the long-haul, despite its loss of $163 million in the first quarter. They say the struggling company won't be "transformed" until 2015.
Work From Home Jobs Rise (FINS)
Jobs for those who want to work from home are increasing. Last month saw 19,000 online job ads from sales employers, a 3% increase from last year, and more than ever before.
China to Acquire AMC (WSJ)
China's Dalian Wanda Group will acquire AMC Entertainment Holdings in a $2.6 billion deal that is among the biggest moves yet by a Chinese company breaking into the U.S. industry.
Marketing Buzz
Ogilvy Looks to Myanmar (Ad Age)
Ogilvy & Mather has acquired a stake in a Myanmar advertising agency, Today Advertising. The move gives Ogilvy access to the Asian country, which has thus far been largely isolated from commercial development.
BA's New Brand Head (Marketing Week)
British Airways has beefed up its senior marketing team, appointing Hamish McVey to head brand development and engagement. McVey replaces Abigail Comber, who now heads brands and marketing at the airline.
Publicis Combines French Agencies (Ad Age)
Publicis Groupe is combining two of its French agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi and Duke, into a single entity: Saatchi & Saatchi Duke. Elie Ohayon, chairman of Saatchi in France, and Stephane Guerry, head of Duke, will manage the new unit. Its combined 105 employees will be housed at Saatchi's French headquarters.
Always On Marketing (Brafton)
Content marketers should focus on reaching executives and B2B buyers at all times, not just while they are in the office. A survey found that 43% of business decision makers use their computers to access content after work, while 36% do so on weekends.
Buzz Around the Office
Sea Nomad Rides Shark (boingboing)
Photographer James Morgan captures a marine nomad from the dying Bajau ethnic group, riding on the tail of a nurse shark in Indonesia.
List of the Day: Mitigating Boredom at Work
1. Take interesting people out to lunch.
2. Ask your boss questions to find new growth opportunities.
3. Ask for more, and more diverse, work.
(Source: Glassdoor.com)


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Brookstone Hires Golf Town Founder as its New CEO

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:11:21 -0500

Retailer Brookstone has hired retail veteran and Golf Town founder Stephen Bebis as its new president and chief executive. He will also join the company's board. Bebis replaces Ron Boire, who left Brookstone to join Sears in January.
Bebis is taking the reins from Brookstone Chairman Jackson Tai, 61, who has been serving as interim president and CEO, effective immediately, the company said.
"We conducted a broad CEO search and interviewed a number of highly qualified internal and external candidates," Tai said in a company press release. "We were impressed by Stephen's track record as an entrepreneur, his hands-on experience as a manager and mentor at the highest levels in the retail industry, and his ability to drive growth and achieve market leadership."
Bebis, 59, started his retail career in 1974 as a store manager at Sears. Prior to joining Brookstone, Bebis worked in merchandising roles at Home Depot and Grossman's Lumber Chain and later spent 14 years as founder and CEO of Golf Town, the largest specialty golf retailer in Canada. After starting the business in 1998, he grew Golf Town to 57 locations throughout Canada and led the company's expansion into Boston with seven stores that opened last year.
Last week, Golf Town acquired competitor Golfsmith International Holdings, based in Austin, Texas. When the deal closes, Golfsmith CEO Martin Hanaka, 63, will take over as CEO of the combined company.
Bebis and Hanaka were unavailable for comments.
Brookstone, based in Merrimack, N.H., currently operates 283 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and an e-commerce channel that combines the company's catalog and website.
Related: Sears Grabs Ron Boire From Brookstone
Write to Damian Ghigliotty at Damian.Ghigliotty@dowjones.com


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Best Buy Steps Up CEO Search

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:24:58 -0500

Best Buy Co. hired recruiting firm Spencer Stuart to run its search for a new chief executive, citing the firm's experience with retail and digital companies.
Spencer Stuart has recently been linked with searches for a New York Times Co. chief executive and board members for Facebook Inc. and CoreLogic Inc.
Best Buy's board earlier this month found former CEO Brian Dunn didn't misuse company resources as he conducted an inappropriate relationship with an employee that led him to step down last month.
The electronic retailer last month formed a search committee headed by the nominating committee's chairwoman, Kathy Higgins Victor, to oversee a search for internal and external candidates, including interim CEO Mike Mikan.
For his service, Best Buy said Mikan will receive bi-weekly payments based on annual cash compensation of $3.3 million, in lieu of his participation in the executive short-term incentive plan. He will also receive up to 263,000 shares of the registrant's stock valued at about $5 million upon the completion of his service as interim CEO.
The final amount of Mikan's stock award will be based on the length of service and his performance, as determined by the board's compensation and human resources committee.
This story first appeared on WSJ.com
Write to Melodie Warner at melodie.warner@dowjones.com


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The Best Way to Work from Home

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:13:11 -0500

Getting tired of the daily commute and sitting in the office all day?
If you prefer working from home, a career as a sales rep or customer service associate may be your best bet.
Last month, employers in the sales world posted the highest number of online job ads targeted at stay-home parents and those who like to work in their pajamas, according to Wanted Technologies, a provider of hiring research based in Quebec City, Canada.
Nine of the top 20 jobs listed by Wanted that allow candidates to work from home were for direct or related sales positions. In April, there were close to 7,000 online job postings for medical sales reps, insurance sales reps, account executives, and customer service associates, among others.
The biggest benefit of working from home is the amount of time saved by not having to commute, said Kent Woloson, 46, director of Midwest sales for the Chicago-based social media company AdParlor. "I wake up and I'm at work," he said. "I live in a suburb in Illinois called Lake Forest and it's an hour and half-long trip each way to Chicago."
He said the biggest challenge of working from home is that he misses out on the daily camaraderie with co-workers. Also, he often has to take on more family responsibilities during normal work hours. "Sometimes your spouse forgets that you're at work and adds to your errands for the day," he said.
All told, 19,000 online job ads were available for positions that allow candidates to work from home in both full-time and part-time stints, a 3% increase from the same period last year. The non-sales jobs include editor, typist and data entry positions.
According to Wanted's research, the skills and tools needed for the majority of those stay-home jobs include Microsoft Office, customer relationship management, search engine optimization, JavaScript and HTML.
Write to Damian Ghigliotty at Damian.Ghigliotty@dowjones.com


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The Home Depot Road to the Top

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:14:11 -0500

We've all heard the story about the mail room clerk rising to become the chief executive of a big corporation. At Home Depot, it's doable.
Senior leaders at the Atlanta-based home improvement chain have often begun their careers on the sales floor, says Arlette Decuir Guthrie, the company's vice president of talent management and diversity. Home Depot is a company where "entry-level employees can invest in their careers and grow internally," she says.
"It's not uncommon to find senior leaders in the organization who started as cashiers," says Guthrie. "In fact our three division presidents for the United States each started in the store at some level."
Home Depot's southern division president Ann-Marie Campbell began as a cashier in 1985, while its western division president Joe McFarland started as a sales associate in 1993 and its northern division president Aaron Flowe started as a department supervisor in 1994. Guthrie began as an intern at Home Depot 12 years ago.
Those who want to make it to the top face steep competition. Among Home Depot's 331,000 employees, about 20,000 hold salaried positions, according to a company filing. The number of senior positions is fewer than that 20,000. FINS talked with Guthrie about how the retailer grooms its people.
Damian Ghigliotty: When it comes to senior positions, does Home Depot hire from outside or promote from within?
Arlette Guthrie: More often we promote internally. One of our core values is taking care of our people and a big part that is providing them with growth and advancement opportunities. About 80% of our store managers and assistant store managers started as hourly associates. If you look at our district manager ranks and the senior managers at our [headquarters], that percentage is pretty much just as high.
That said, we recognize that it's always important to bring in a fresh perspective, so there is a healthy balance of external talent coming into the organization as well.
DG: You started at Home Depot 12 years ago as an intern. How did you move up?
AG: I was in that internship role for nine months and was then offered a full-time position as an analyst within our hiring selection practice. After doing that job successfully I was given a new promotion and more responsibility every year up to 2007, when I became an officer of the company. Personally, I can say that if you deliver results and provide excellent customer service, the opportunities will be afforded to you.
DG: Can you move from one area of the business to another?
AG: The cool thing about our organization is that you don't have to stay narrowly focused in terms of your path if you can show the ability to take on other roles. We are very much into cross-functional moves as well. We view associates as extremely valuable if they have experience in more than one career area.
For example, the combination of merchandising and operations makes you extremely valuable to the company because you understand multiple perspectives of the business.
Being able to make a cross-functional move is guided by a person's interest, capabilities and his or her commitment to growth within the company. The current president of our online business started in finance. The current vice president of our home services installation business started in IT.
DG: How can sales associates advance?
AG: It really comes down to showing your supervisors that you can provide excellent customer service and deliver outstanding results on a consistent basis. If you line up all of the examples of the senior leaders who took on different and higher roles throughout the organization, these folks were all very focused on what they were responsible for at the time until they fulfilled that obligation.
It's also important that you have a plan, one that you can articulate to your immediate supervisor and HR partner. A leader has to have an understanding of where he or she is trying to go. That's the only way for us to help our employees get ready for the next level.
DG: What is Home Depot University and what does it offer for the company's employees?
AG: Home Depot University is located at our [headquarters] in Atlanta and is an intense leadership training program attended by new district managers, store managers, assistant store managers and supply chain management.
The focus of the program is on servant leadership and our inverted pyramid philosophy, where our leaders are there to support our employees on the front lines, as well as other important management skills. Our chief executive, Frank Blake, addresses the classes to discuss leadership, as does Marvin Ellison, our executive vice president of U.S. Stores, along with other members of our executive leadership team.
DG: How do you measure employee satisfaction?
AG: We maintain an open-door policy throughout the organization allowing Home Depot associates at any level to talk with any leader in the organization. It is constantly reinforced that you have a voice.
We frequently conduct town hall meetings to take polls on the organization. In addition, we run what we call the "employer of choice" survey on a rolling monthly basis where we measure the level of engagement with our associates to make sure they're getting the right level of communication and the right level of development.
We also look at their perception of benefits and compensation and several other factors that give us a holistic picture of how they perceive the organization and what drives their commitment to Home Depot. We want our associates to really feel a part of the company.
DG: How do you measure employee performance?
AG: Depending on your level, we measure performance every six months on the hourly side and we measure it annually on the salary side. Those reviews are completely based on how you deliver results -- what were your objectives and deliverables for the year and did you meet them? Outstanding customer service is a huge part of that.
DG: What do you do to retain your top talent?
AG: One of the things that drives employees out of organizations is them feeling like they don't have the right information and understanding of what's going on, so we certainly put a value on effective communication with our associates.
We also look to make sure we are paying them competitively, not just through our base compensation, but also through our benefits. We also do what we call success sharing, or profit sharing, so that our associates have the opportunity to take part in the success of the company. For our management associates that's in the form of a management incentive plan, or bonus. We also provide bonuses for our hourly employees.
Related: Home Depot Hiring Thousands for Spring Season
Write to Damian Ghigliotty at Damian.Ghigliotty@dowjones.com


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Yahoo's New Marketing Head

Mon, 21 May 2012 06:31:31 -0500

As part of his management revamp, Yahoo's interim chief executive, Ross Levinsohn, named Mollie Spilman as chief marketing officer, reports AllThingsD.
Spilman, 43, previously ran Yahoo's Americas marketing team, and is replacing Elisa Steele, who stepped down in December on the heels of her boss, former CEO Carol Bartz.
In a memo to the company announcing Spilman's appointment, Levinsohn said Yahoo's "largest competitive advantage is that we have amazing people."
In a move to replace the less amazing with the more amazing, the interim CEO announced that Sam Shrauger—a former executive at EBay's PayPal unit hired last month by now ousted CEO Scott Thompson—will leave the company.
Another former PayPal exec, Amanda Pires, who served as Yahoo's head of public relations, will also step down. Levinsohn named Mickie Rosen as head of global media and commerce.
Sales Buzz
Starbucks Revamps Management (Chain Store Age)
Starbucks named Craig Russell, the senior vice president of its U.S. stores, as senior vice president of its Global Coffee division. Arthur Rubinfeld, formerly the chief marketing officer, becomes chief creative officer.
Hugo Boss Expands in China
Hugo Boss plans to open about 60 new stores in China's mainland over the next three years. The move comes when growth in the country's luxury retail space appears to be slowing.
Mango Donuts (Knowledge@Wharton)
Dunkin' Donuts has opened its first restaurant in the Indian capital, New Delhi, branding itself for the first time ever as "Dunkin' Donuts & More" as it offers Indian consumers menu items beyond its traditional offerings.
Kohl's is Hiring (WOAI)
Kohl's wants to hire 500 new full-time employees to work in its customer service and operations center in San Antonio.
Marketing Buzz
Women Read Facebook Ads (eMarketer)
Women show higher responsiveness to advertisements on Facebook than do men. Data from AdParlor shows that women in the U.S. on Facebook are 12% more likely than men to click on ads.
GM Pulls SuperBowl Ads (WSJ)
Days after pulling the plug on its Facebook ads, General Motors said it won't advertise on the next Super Bowl. A spokesman says the company isn't reducing its ad budget, but is attempting to maximize its efficiency.
DraftFCB Wins SeaWorld Account (AdAge)
DraftFCB's New York office has landed SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The agency's global chief of staff, Peter Drakoulias, says it plans to make SeaWorld appear educational as well as fun.
Foursquare Hires Apple Ad Exec (AdAge)
Steven Rosenblatt, formerly director of advertising sales and strategy at Apple's mobile-ad platform iAd, has been appointed chief revenue officer at Foursquare. Foursquare will launch its paid-media platform, including a product allowing merchants to promote their deals, this summer.
Buzz Around the Office
Tattoo a Banana (FlavorWire)
Artist Phil Hansen transforms banana skins into canvases, recreating some of the world's most famous works of art with a push pin.
List of the Day: The Last Day
Here's how to spend your last day at a certain job.
1. Wrap up any outstanding assignments.
2. Delete everything off your computer.
3. Go for lunch with your colleagues.
(Source: The Daily Muse)


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Wal-Mart Struggles to Go Small

Fri, 18 May 2012 06:30:54 -0500

Wal-Mart's competitors are going smaller in a big way, but the retail giant is struggling to develop a strategy for its small urban stores, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Wal-Mart's core low-income customers rely on the company's low prices, particularly as rising gas prices and a lackluster job market continue to squeeze consumer spending. On Thursday, the world's largest retailer reported a 10% rise in fiscal first-quarter earnings and a 8.5% rise in revenue.
Yet experts say Wal-Mart's push to offer supercenter pricing and assortment in their Wal-Mart Expresses, which are small, high-cost spaces, is putting pressure on the minimarts' profitability.
Wal-Mart has been successful with its small-store formats overseas in countries like the U.K. and Brazil, and has expressed an interest in doing the same in the U.S. However, the retailer has rolled out fewer than a dozen Wal-Mart Express locations since it launched the first store a year ago.
This summer, competitor Target will open three new, smaller format "City Target" stores in Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles.
"Wal-Mart is the only retailer out there continuing to open up big box stores, which leads me to think they're not paying enough attention to what the consumer needs," Charles Grom, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, told WSJ.
Sales Buzz
Best Companies for Commissions (Forbes)
Oracle is the best company for salespeople to earn hefty commissions, according to an analysis by Glassdoor. Salespeople at the California tech company earn an average annual sales commission of $77,362. Cisco is the second-best, with average annual commission of $74,823.
Sears to Spin Off Canadian Arm (WSJ)
Sears will partially spin off its flagging Canada business, reducing its stake in the cross-border business to 51% from about 95%. The retailer recorded a first-quarter profit buoyed by income from the sale of real estate assets.
How to Get Hired (CBS)
Salespeople take note. Research shows that prospective employers are looking for three major qualities: knowledge or the ability to learn, dependability and punctuality.
Refine Your Sales Forecast (HBR)
In forecasting sales, focus on the specific actions--phone calls, emails, demos and face-to-face visits--that sales teams perform to close a deal. Use these to measure the underlying data for individual team members.
Marketing Buzz
Targeting Asian Consumers (eMarketer)
U.S. Asians, while a diverse group, can best be targeted by marketers through digital channels. Asians over index for Internet engagement and mobile ownership, while underutilizing old media.
Lee Doyle Joins Mindshare (Ad Age)
Lee Doyle has been appointed as president of client development for WPP's Mindshare in North America. Doyle takes on the role about eight months after resigning as North America chief executive of sister agency MEC.
The Customer (Metric) is King (HBR)
Companies like Philips and Rackspace show that it is possible to generate hard data on customer loyalty and use this to make strategic decisions. Companies should stop looking at customer metrics as soft metrics that have little connection to hard numbers like revenue and cash flow.
Buzz Around the Office
48 Things That Will Make You Feel Old (Buzz Feed)
The list includes foods you can no longer buy, what childhood celebs look like now and how old Maggie from the Simpsons would be in real life.
List of the Day: Addressing an Employment Gap
You're going to need to have a story when someone inevitably asks you about your time out of the workforce.
1. Only discuss recent employment gaps.
2. Stay up to speed by taking classes and attending industry workshops.
3. Don't bring it up until they do.
(Source: U.S. News & World Report)


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Amazon's Hefty Hiring Spree

Thu, 17 May 2012 06:32:01 -0500

Amazon has accelerated its pace of hiring in the last few months, increasing its total headcount to 65,600 as of end March, with an influx of 28,000 new employees in the past year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The 73% increase in headcount is the largest the Seattle-based company has reported in over a decade.
While many of these jobs are being created at Amazon's shipping centers, the company is also moving into a spectrum of businesses, from original TV programs to high-fashion retail. Its hiring reflects this diversity. Job postings include solicitations for a medic, a lawyer, a developer, software engineer and a marketing specialist, among many others.
The Internet retailer is also looking for a candidate to lead a new group dedicated to developing "previously untested methods" of recruiting top talent. The group would focus on "understanding the candidate's life trajectory rather than their domain expertise," Amazon said in a posting that WSJ reports was recently withdrawn from its website.
Whether Amazon's hiring spree will leave the company overextended or well positioned to handle an expansion remains to be seen.
Sales Buzz
Avon's Other Suitor (Bloomberg)
Consumer brands investor Richmont Holdings has expressed a renewed interest in Avon after a proposed $10.7 billion deal with Coty fell through earlier this week. Alternatively, Richmont may offer to buy a minority stake of 25% or more.
Office-Supply Retailers Struggle (WSJ)
Office-supply retailers are struggling in the face of more online tools and a declining demand for office products. Staples yesterday reported a profit of $187.1 million, down 5.6% from a year ago. Earlier this month, OfficeMax reported first-quarter earnings that were down 55%.
Possible Split for Pepsi (WSJ)
Pepsi may be forced to spin off its slow-growing beverage business from its stronger-performing snacks unit after activist shareholder Relational Investors acquired a roughly $600 million stake. The move puts pressure on CEO Indra Nooyi. Its stock has suffered since she took over in 2006.
Marketing Buzz
Skechers Slammed for False Marketing (WSJ)
Skechers will pay a $50 million settlement after the Federal Trade Commission found the sneakers chain had deceived the public by making unfounded claims that its toning shoes would help consumers shape their muscles and lose weight.
Arnold Scoops Up University Account (Ad Age)
Havas' Arnold has scooped up lead creative duties for the University of Phoenix, its third piece of business in recent weeks, after it took on American Eagle Outfitters and Kohler. Arnold's Boston office will handle integrated marketing duties for the university.
Male Shoppers on the Rise (Ad Week)
Marketers should expend more energy on targeting male shoppers. An iProspect study of men with household incomes of $100,000-plus finds they're shopping more and at higher rates than ever before online. Men are also doing more product research on their mobile devices.
Avoid the Headshot Soup (WSJ)
When marketing your brand, pay attention to photos. Blurry shots, confusing pictures and a "headshot soup" in the About Us section of your company's website can also drive away customers or create a bad impression.
Buzz Around the Office
Web Inspired Street Art (Flavor Wire)
Street art projects incorporate well known web icons like the Facebook "Like" button and Google Maps markers into real life.
List of the Day: Common Courtesy
You shouldn't do these things in any workplace, but doing them in a small office will be especially damaging.
1. Gossiping.
2. Passing the buck.
3. Constant complaining.
(Source: Glassdoor.com)


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Get Certified in Media Sales

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:58:09 -0500

Do you understand the nuances between digital media, TV, radio and print? Can you calculate media mathematics and define key digital ad tools?
These are the kinds of questions people who sell digital ads may be required to answer, if the Interactive Advertising Bureau and some of its key members have a say.
The IAB introduced its "Digital Media Sales Certification" exam for salespeople with two to five years experience in the online media industry. "Just as with certificates in other fields, this exam will give current job holders and job seekers a score card to prove their understanding of the most important concepts, guidelines and practices in digital advertising," said Michael Theodore, vice president of member services at IAB.
The exam takes two hours to complete and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions broken into four sections covering the "Digital Advertising Ecosystem," "Selling Digital Media," "Managing Digital Advertising Campaigns," and "Analyzing Campaign Performance." No formal coursework is required, said Theodore.
"Candidates should have a strong command of current industry issues, players, and operations, as well as a broad understanding of major digital platforms, such as mobile, social and display advertising," he said.
Among IAB's more than 500 member companies in the media and technology industries, 25 of them, including Google, Condé Nast, Time Inc., AOL and NBCUniversal, contributed to the exam's development process, which began in November.
"Part of IAB's mandate to make our industry stronger and raise the level of professionalism," said Scott Schiller, 53, executive vice president of digital media sales at NBCU's entertainment & digital networks and integrated media division. Schiller played an integral role in the exam's development as the chair of IAB's "Digital Media Sales Certification" Founders Commission.
The exam isn't a requirement to get or hold a job in digital ad sales, said Theodore. Instead, it serves as a "badge for their careers," he said.
"When I hire someone I look at what traits they have that make them qualified to sell advertising and this certification would mean another stripe on their resume," said Schiller. "For the early adaptors it will signal their commitment to their jobs and as a result open doors."
The exam costs $350 for IAB members and $450 for non-members. Candidates need at least two years of digital ad sales experience or a degree in advertising or integrated marketing to qualify for the exam.
The "Digital Media Sales Certification" exam will be administered by the U.K. educational company Pearson. Interested candidates can apply for on IAB's website. The first quarterly set of exams is scheduled to start Monday, June 11, and will be held at Pearson's test centers around the world.
After July, there will be three additional windows to take the exam in September, December and March of 2013. Further test dates have not yet been set.
Those who fail may retake it an additional two times. After a third failure, that candidate will be required to sit out two examination cycles, approximately six months, before he or she can reapply.
Theodore said that IAB is considering creating a separate exam for ad buyers on both the agency and the client side.
IAB's member companies are responsible for 86% of online advertising sold in the U.S.
Write to Damian Ghigliotty at Damian.Ghigliotty@dowjones.com


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Facebook and Twitter Get Francesca CFO Fired

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:56:12 -0500

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs and other social media sites are great ways to communicate with friends, publicly voice your opinions and share your activity, but they can also get you in hot soup if you aren't prudent.
This is particularly true if you're privy to internal company communications, as shown by the fate of Gene Morphis, the 63-year-old chief financial officer of Houston-based women's fashion retailer Francesca's Holdings, who was fired for improperly communicating company information through social media.
Morphis—who served as Francesca's CFO since October 2010 and has previously held CFO positions at David's Bridal and the Rowe Companies—maintained a publicly viewable Facebook profile, a blog called "Morph's View" and a Twitter account under the handle "theoldcfo."
He tweeted about having to "be on guard every second" while dining with Francesca's board, about attending board meetings and about the company's earnings. After the company discovered the posts on Friday afternoon, Morphis was "terminated for cause."
Francesca's shares climbed jumped 5% to $25.25 in pre-market trading on Tuesday.
Sales Buzz
Rotten Briefs (WSJ)
Here's a qualifier for quote of the day from Chief Operating Officer Michael Kramer on the J.C. Penney earnings call: "I don't know about you, but I am not going to want underwear that has been sitting on the shelf for two or three years."
Coty Drops Avon (Bloomberg)
Coty has withdrawn its $10.7 billion bid for Avon, sending shares of the world's largest door-to-door cosmetics seller down the most in over six months to close 9.74% lower at $18.71.
Retailers Grapple with Risk (Chain Store Age)
The top risk factors faced by retailers are general economic conditions, U.S. and foreign supplier vendor concerns, and competition/consolidation, according to consulting and accounting firm BDO.
Macy's Takes on Amazon (WSJ)
To compete with online retailer Amazon, Macy's is turning the back rooms of its stores into distribution centers, enabling it to send goods to customers from these impromptu shipping centers rather than only from online warehouses.
Marketing Buzz
Groupon Costs Drop (Marketing Week)
Groupon's marketing costs decreased 49% from the same period last year to $117 million after the daily deals site switched from acquiring new customers to retaining existing ones, growing the number of repeat purchasers 1.5 times faster than the number of unique purchasers.
Brush up on Your Stats (Forbes)
Marketers take note: Data skills are becoming increasingly valuable. As companies collect lots of data on consumer behavior, they need statisticians who understand data and can forecast consumer behavior trends, says Katie Bardaro, lead economist at compensation research firm PayScale.
New CEO at CIM (Marketing Week)
The U.K.'s Chartered Institute of Marketing—which recently stirred up controversy by urging marketing and sales departments to merge—has appointed Anne Godfrey, head of the Guild of Travel Management Companies, as its new chief executive.
Digital Marketing Goes Freelance (Econsultancy)
Freelance digital marketing jobs are on the rise: Freelance job website Elance saw a 106% increase in U.S. digital marketing jobs for the 12 months leading up to March. The increase in such jobs was even greater in the U.K., at 124%.
BBDO Atlanta New CEO (Ad Week)
Gill Duff will succeed Chris Hall to become president and chief executive of BBDO's Atlanta office. Duff previously worked as a global business director at BBDO's sister Omnicom agency, DDB Worldwide.
Buzz Around the Office
The World's Strangest Restaurants (care2)
They include a cat café in Amsterdam, a restaurant run by children in the Netherlands and a toilet-themed chain across Taiwan.
List of the Day: Getting Ready
School's out and you may be getting ready to start your first job.
1. Clean up your online social profiles.
2. Start networking in your new city.
3. Read as much as you can about your industry.
(Source: Glassdoor.com)


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How Not to Say Good-Bye

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:02:39 -0500

Parting is such sweet sorrow, wrote William Shakespeare, but it doesn't have to be if you do it right.
Bad farewells when you leave your job lead to crimped futures. Greg Smith, the ex-Goldmanite who left his former employer via an op-ed in the New York Times, is unlikely to ever work in banking again. Joe Muto, who wrote scathing articles about his work at Fox for salacious media gossip website Gawker, is likely not welcome back at Fox, or really any job in television (Fox, like Dow Jones and FINS is owned by NewsCorp).
"When you go public and take revenge on somebody, it's going to burn bridges," said Bob Bies, a professor of management at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and author of the book "Getting Even: The Truth About Workplace Revenge And How to Stop It."
Here are more things not to do when writing that last memo to colleagues and business partners:
Don't Go Public With Criticism
If there's one thing people hate more than being criticized it's being criticized in public.
"You're burning bridges with people who you may have worked with," said Roy Cohen, a finance career expert. "Some people will do it because they have this burning need to set the record straight. But the take-away for the people receiving that kind of farewell letter is, 'Boy, what a jerk.'"
On Wall Street in particular, public dressing down of a firm could get you into legal trouble. People often sign agreements when they join firms that they won't malign the institution's reputation. Violating those agreements could have consequences.
While farewell letters may not be as public as Smith's New York Times op-ed, a good rule of thumb with any email communication in the office is not to write anything you wouldn't want to see on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, said Judith Gerberg, director of Gerberg & Co., a New York-based career-consulting firm.
Individual Praise is Out, Too
You might be tempted to mention one or two of your colleagues who were especially pleasurable to work with. Resist this temptation. Calling someone out ? even positively ? could be a mistake.
"When you call out a colleague positively in your farewell note, you're saying, 'the rest of you, you're not as good,'" said Dr. Janice Presser, CEO of The Gabriel Institute, a Philadelphia-based technology company that works with recruiters. Play it safe and praise the entire team.
Depending on how you're leaving the company, calling out someone positively could also have unforeseen negative side-effects for that person.
"If you're leaving on bad terms and do it as a gesture of support for that individual, there may be some fallout for that person," said Cohen. "It would be guilt by association."
Don't Tell Secrets
If you have been told things by others in the office in confidence, your farewell letter is not the time to betray that confidence whether it's personal or professional.
"Say you know somebody has been having an affair in the office," mentioning that they are close with a particular colleague "could violate their privacy," said Cohen. Nor should a farewell letter be the place to become a whistleblower, he said.
Don't Use Words Like "Honestly" or "Frankly"
Speaking of trustworthiness and honesty, using certain words in your farewell letter can subtly indicate to your colleagues that you think unsavory things about them ? even if that isn't the case.
"When you use words like 'honestly' or 'frankly,' it usually means that you've been lying in the past," said Presser. "It tells people that every other time you weren't being honest or frank."
The same is true for other phrases that could easily pass under your radar undetected.
"If you wish them [your colleagues] luck, you're saying you don't have much faith in their natural ability," said Presser. "You really need to think about every word that goes in there."
Don't Fly Off the Handle
This one might be obvious, but many people send emails at the height of their emotions and then regret sending them later. Don't be one of those people.
"Greg Smith wrote his letter and hit send while his emotions were still running high, which you should never do," said Alexandra Levitt, a workplace consultant and the author of several career books. "Although it's well written, he definitely didn't think through the decision to send it all the way through. Can you imagine ever wanting to hire him as an employer?"
Any negative emotion, even eloquently expressed, can leave your colleagues with a negative impression of you.
"If you express any anger, rage, frustration or disappointment, it's a sign of social immaturity," said Cohen.
Don't Surprise Anyone
Even if you're not about to publish an op-ed in a major newspaper about how much you hate your former employer, you should avoid other kinds of surprises. In general, people don't like to be surprised in the office.
"They don't like to not be prepared, especially with something that's not public," said Gerberg. "If you put in your letter that you got a promotion to go to a different company and it's not already known, whether that's said specifically or implied, you're not building bridges. People will resent it, partially because they didn't know."
Don't Write Just One Letter
Those colleagues with whom you had a closer relationship might be offended if they only receive a mass-mailed, perfunctory farewell note. On the other hand, those who you did not know well don't need or want to read a letter where you personally thank everyone on your team.
"Don't just write one letter. There are people who you have a real relationship with who will not love getting just a form letter," said Gerberg. "You don't write the same thing to your nearest and dearest. These are people who are now forever in your circle and you want to leave them with a positive and personal lasting memory of you."
When you write more than one letter, you will have room in each personal note to say things like how much you liked working with each individual on a specific project. You may also want to leave your personal contact information with some colleagues and not others.
Don't Compliment Yourself
The farewell letter is more for your colleagues than for you. It's more important to make them feel good than to toot your own horn.
"It's not the time to say how wonderful you are. It's time to thank people and wish them luck," said Gerberg. If you've spent your final two weeks working hard and making a good impression, your farewell letter won't have to say so.
You want to be remembered as a good team player, said Presser, but talking about your leadership of a team rather than your role as a contributor can be a bad idea.
"When you do that, you're saying, 'the rest of you are not as good,'" said Presser. "Do not refer to yourself as having led the team but having been part of it, even if you led it. That's writing the letter for you. Write for the reader."
Don't Send It to Everyone
There are many people who don't need to know that it's your last day. While it may be tempting to include top executives with whom you've had fleeting contact, resist the urge.
"Don't send it to people you don't actually know," said Gerberg. "It would be odd for them to get a farewell letter from you if you don't have any real relationship with them. Once you leave, if there was some reason to contact them, then that it could be appropriate to reach out at that time."
"When you send this big distribution letter to a top executive, you can look like a person who has no discrimination," said Gerberg.
If you do make the mistake of including a top executive on your distribution list, the best outcome is if "it never gets to them," said Gerberg, which is likely, because you were not an important contact of theirs anyway.
Don't Ramble
Your farewell letter should be short and to the point.
"Don't make it more than one or two paragraphs," said Gerberg. "You're expressing 'thank you, stay in touch, it's been great working with you.' "
If you want to make references to various people you worked with or projects you worked on you should make them in a more personal letter to specific colleagues, said Gerberg.
Write to Jeremy Greenfield at jeremydg@gmail.com


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