THE REPORT BLOG

Free Alerts from the MTA

Here's something that may save you and your employees a lot of hassle during your commute. The MTA just released an alert system that sends emergency service notifications directly to your email or phone (as a text message). You can get alerts for all subways, buses and commuter rail lines, as well as traffic alerts for MTA bridges and tunnels. It's free to sign up and you can have the alerts sent to as many emails and phone numbers as you'd like, but keep in mind that text message charges from your provider still apply. Sign up for the free alerts here.

Now you'll know if those "subway and bus" excuses you get from your staff are really true!

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

MSNBC Your Business

I had a chance to be a guest on Sunday’s Your Business on MSNBC, where we discussed, among other subjects, securing your business for these troubled economic times.

For the full video clip of the segment, click here.

Telling Your Customers to Spend Less with You

I had a call with a client the other day and I told them that they were eligible for a frequency discount and the ads they are purchasing for 2009 will to cost 10% less than what they paid last year. My client was really surprised - and appreciative. If I hadn't said anything, they would have never known about the discount.

I told another media person about what I did and they admitted that if a client doesn't mention the frequency discounts (which are common place when buying advertising), they typically won’t bring it up. From my perspective, the money we are losing by giving the discount is money well spent considering the credibility that we earn by just doing the right thing. Besides, the last thing I want is for a client to find out that they were eligible for a frequency discount and I didn't tell them.

NY XPO 2008

I know a lot of you are excited about the annual NY XPO at the Jacob Javits Center tomorrow. For those of you attending , please feel free to stop by the NY Report booth (#1625) and say hi. We may even ask you to be a part of our video testimonial.

Turn Off the Talking Heads

No, I’m not talking about the band. I’m talking about the so-called experts you see on TV and hear on the radio spewing a lot of negativity and alarmist reactions to the daily business news. Now I am not trying to paint a rosy picture, but I am telling you that constant exposure to the news is not good for your psyche.

In our upcoming (December) issue, Jim Blasingame, the host of The Small Business Advocate radio program discusses the current economic climate and he made a great point. He said to stop listening to the talking heads and start listening to your customers. He's right - allowing yourself to be preoccupied with analysis of the current financial crisis and how it affects the global economy at large only serves to distract you from the realities your company is facing. Why create false negative expectations based on something you heard someone (with no knowledge of your business) say? As business owners, we shouldn’t be bothered too much by what the media are saying because, simply put, we’ve got a business to run!

A more productive use of our time would be to speak more with customers. Ask them about their business. Find out how else you can serve them. Put a plan in for you and your team to routinely call your customers and you will find new opportunities to serve them.

Give 'Em a Break

Even though our staff at NY Report has doubled in the past year we still run very lean. So my team works very hard and many wear several hats. Given the pace at which we work, and the fact that this pace will continue or get more frenetic, not to mention the effect of all the bad news in the media these days, it is a legitimate concern that we might get a little nuts.

Last week I got the team together for a quick impromptu meeting and encouraged them to take many breaks throughout the day. Preferably out of the office. I think this helps everyone "take a breath" and keeps us sane, which should result in happier and more productive workers.

The next thing I need to figure out is how to make sure they do take breaks without making it mandatory. Any suggestions?

Keeping Up a World-Class Website

Earlier this month I blogged about an article that discussed the key elements that all good websites need to have (link). Here’s a good follow up to that article, which details more of the maintenance aspect of keeping up a world-class website after the design process. Check out “11 Ways to improve Your Website.” 

Finding Opportunities Under a New Administration

When a presidential candidate talks about raising taxes on the rich, business owners tend to get worried. But, smart business owners know that planning for the future can reveal opportunities anywhere. Gene Marks wrote a great article for Business Week about opportunities for small business owners under the new administration, which you can check out here.

What's Your Recession Plan?

Yesterday I spoke with Yacov Wrocherinsky, founder and CEO of Infinity Info Systems. Yacov, who is one of the sharper business owners I know, is a member of several peer groups (I believe that includes YPO, EO and Vistage). He was telling me about some of the discussions he’s been having with other "larger" business owners and, in light of this economic environment, they all find themselves asking each other "what's your plan?" He explained that while he is still optimistic (it is hard to be an entrepreneur and not be optimistic), he is also realistic. While he still intends on hiring more support for his growing business, smart business owners like Yacov make plans in the event that business declines significantly. He made it very clear to me that it is just a plan and that he hopes he won't need it, but making a plan before an actual crisis may allot you the time, and resources, to think about things in a more well-thought out manner.

Employees Late Today?

They're voting. Really! Check out this picture from upper Manhattan at 6 in the morning, taken by our art director Laura Sutcliffe.

Quick Website Checklist

15 Key Elements All Top Web Sites Should Have is a great short read on what you should incorporate into your website.  Check out the comments as well.