Sharina told me, by e-mail, that she is a Singaporean who lives in Hong Kong, and owns a store selling cell phones and cell phone accessories in Hongkong.

Indeed, as a management consultant, I am well aware that many businesses could not earn enough, while a great number go bankrupt. There are many studies that every year about 80% of new businesses die. Even existing enterprises collapse.

What are the reasons why businesses collapse and fail?

Well, the main reason is still the same year in and year out: lack of marketing strategies.

Sure, the market is there. People are buying products and services everyday to meet their needs and wants.

However, it is the lack of strategies or the inability of the owners of these failed businesses to sell to their target market, to their niche, that is the main cause of business failure.

I’m always saying that marketing is the most important function of business, because without a market there is no business. Thus, to make your business survive, you need marketing strategies.

To make your business grow, you need marketing strategies. To make your business profitable, you need marketing strategies.

The following are the five tested marketing strategies to help you grow your business and make it profitable.

1. What is your business? What is your business mission?  Why does your company exist? What is its reason for existence? These are the basic questions. Like in any human situation, you cannot handle any business unless you know what it is for.

Therefore, you must know why you have put up your business in the first place. This is the first step in designing marketing strategies.

2. Who are your customers? Your business is to serve your customers to generate revenue and profit.  It is important to have a niche in the market, that segment, class or groups of customers  who need your products and services, and serve them well.

In the face of competition, having a market niche is a key to business success.

3. What are your Strengths and Weaknesses? It is necessary to know your strengths, for example, quality products and services, friendly customer service, good customer relations, competitive pricing, good location. It is also important to know your weaknesses, for example, lack of funds, limited marketing knowhow, poor promotion, etc.

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you a lot in devising marketing strategies that work.

4. What are your Opportunities and Threats? Opportunities are those favorable factors outside of your business that can help you achieve your objectives, like increasing demand for your products and services due to increasing population, availability of funds for expansion.

Threats are those unfavorable factors outside your business that can hinder you from achieving your objectives, like intense competition, sluggish demand, economic downtown.

Knowing your opportunities and threats can help you devise marketing strategies that will maximize your opportunities and minimize your threats.

5. What will you do now? Having designed your marketing strategies, the best thing is to implement them. Take action. Your strategies are useless if you cannot implement them.

With the foregoing five basic marketing strategies as a guide, the rest is up to you on how to grow your business and make it profitable.

source of image: businessmp.com

The tour was organized by tour operator and blogger Maricar Dabao of Viaje Negrense.

On our itinerary was a place called Rapha Valley in Barangay Kumaliskis, owned by medical doctor Albert A. Jo and his wife Marilou.

After Dr. Jo and his efficient and friendly waiters welcomed us with cold fragrant towel of herbal scent, we immediately knew that the place would be different and the experience unique.

From a drink of garden-fresh carrot juice to bloodless dinuguan puto  and dip made of cashew, we felt that our introduction to vegan life has begun.

Dr. Jo told us about himself – that his ambition was to be a chef but his father wanted him to be a medical doctor, and his activities at present is to educate people about the effects on our body and health of the food that we eat.

 For this reason, Dr. Jo said he devotes his time lecturing about health and total wellness all over the Philippines. He has already conducted seminars and lectures on the topic in Boracay, Cebu, Subic, and many other places.

After the brief introduction, he guided us down the valley and we marveled how he was able to develop the sloping hills into terraces of many organic vegetables and herbs. Artie Lacson, one of the members of our group, commented that the development of sloping hills to terraces alone would cost around P 3 Million, not to mention the cost of planting different herbs and organic vegetables and the expenses of care and maintenance.

Dr. Jo identified and explained to us the different plants and its health benefits as we walked through the terraces. Here, we realized that even the lowly “baho-baho” is a cure for some ailments!

Our lunch was served in his huge but well-ventilated tent-like structure, complete with kitchen and chefs. The place is cool and offers a breathtaking view of different verdant hills and mountains.

Fresh vegetables and flowers picked from the garden terraces were served, with mouth-watering dressings of Dr. Jo’s recipes, followed by pasta.

The pasta had two dressing – one was tomato and the other mushroom, coupled with fish. Even during lunch, Dr. Jo continued his discussion about the food we eat and the role herbs and vegetables on our health and wellness.

He mentioned that if we suffer from arthritis and stress, Turmeric would be a cure. To detoxify, he gave us a recipe made up of 1 liter of water, add 20 pieces kalamansi plus molasses and cayenne pepper.

We concluded that instead of attending expensive stay-in detox seminars, we will try and take  his recipe for three days and be totally detoxified.

We considered the experience in Rapha Valley as time well-spent, as it gives us an important hands-on lesson on health and wellness.

The bonus was that we were able to experience the coolness of Salvador Benedicto, enjoyed the scenery of the picturesque hills, traversed the cool road covered with pine tress along the way, and took a lot of pictures as remembrance.

Most of all, we went home refreshed and renewed, now conscious of our diet and the food we eat, remembering what Hippocrates, the father of medicine said: “The food you eat is your medicine.”

Desiderata New Year's Resolutions

The new year has always been a time for looking back to the past, as well as to look forward to the next 365 days. It’s a time to reflect on the changes we want to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.

Well, as for me, I am always fascinated by the wisdom of Max Ehrmann in his famous poem Desiderata, which is Latin for “things to be desired”.

Thus, my New Year’s resolutions, my guide for the next 365 days, is the timeless wisdom of Desiderata. Here it is:

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

~ Max Ehrmann
Copyright 1952

1. Happiness deep inside.

Happy New Year 2012

2. Serenity at every sunrise.

3. Success in every facet of your life.

4. Family beside you.

5. Caring friends around you.

6. A love that never ends.

7. Good health within you.

8. Beautiful memories of yesterdays.

9. Nice days with so much to be thankful for.

10. A pathway leading to better tomorrows.

11. Dreams that manage to come true, and

12. A great appreciation for whatever you do.

May 2012 brings peace, abundance, good health and prosperity to us all.

As a Christian, I always treasure Christmas, the special time of the year where I reflect the significance of a Child born in a manger and the start of a significant event that changed human history.

Thus, for me, Christmas is a time of life, a moment of hope, an occasion of gladness, and an opportunity to greet you, my readers and all the women and men of goodwill “Merry Christmas”!

Stripped of commercialism and all the hype that business and marketing have put on Christmas to make money, it is full of religious significance.

For Christmas is a momentous and important time of worship, of celebration, the most significant time in history where a holy child was born in a manger, and whose life changed the course of history forever.

The essence of Christmas is hope, peace, joy, love and kindness. Indeed, Christmas is a precious gift that lifts our weary spirit from the humdrum of everyday living, from the monotony of our existence, giving us joy, peace and hope for tomorrow.

More importantly, Christmas is the time of the year that reminds us of our significance, of life’s essential things, and meaning.

It is in this spirit that I wish you “Merry Christmas”

Come to the Philippines’ first and biggest organic festival – 6^th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival!

The festival will start on Friday, December 16, 2011 until Tuesday, December 20, 2011.

Venue is the Organic Market and the Provincial Capitol grounds, along Gatuslao Street, Bacolod City.

What do you expect if you visit and participate in the festival?

The following are the major events during the festival which you can participate to your heart’s content.

1. Trade Fair Exhibit of certified organic products.
2. Organic Cookfest, an Organic Cooking Demo by the Top Chefs and Restaurateurs in the country, including Negrense chefs and restaurateurs.
3. Market Matching – Chefs and Restaurateurs with Farmers and Fishermen.
4. Organic Cooking Competition.
5. Econ quizbee, Song-writing.
6. For a on sustainable organic technologies; access to market and development funds for farmers, and health and wellness.
7. Sale of artisanal, native, sustainable, vegan, eco-friendly, indigenous, local food and non-food products from social enterprise
8. Exhibit of arts, crafts, painting and more.

So, while in the festival, you can see the 100 exhibits showcasing the different organic products.

You can learn organic cooking from the top chefs and get to know some well-known restaurateurs, and meet organic farmers from all over the country.

You can feast on the variety of certified organic produce.

If you love farming, you can update on the sustainable organic, natural and biodynamic farming and eco-friendly appropriate technologies.

The festival, with the tagline “One Food, One Life, One Island” is sponsored by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, the Negros First Development Agenda of Gov. Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr., in cooperation with other sponsors.

See you all in the 6^th Negros Organic Farmers Festival!

Every business exists for their customers.

Because it is the customers who create the demand for a business’ service or product, they are considered to be the most valuable asset of a company. However, all companies will always be subject to the Complaining Customer, who is mostly the cause of a faulty service or low quality product.

Most of the time, if these encounters are not handled appropriately, loss of customers could result. This is bad. Fewer customers would logically lead to less income. You could say that this is not a desirable situation for every existing company.

Handling customer complaints is an essential aspect of running a business. Business owners should realize that positive outcome of complaints. They should realize that these complaints should give the business a renewed idea on how to serve their customers better.

Customer complaints are valuable because through it you can gather the feedback of your customers. This article will feature 5 steps in handling complaining customers. Learning these steps will increase the chances of retaining or even having a better relationship with complaining customers.

5 steps to handle customer complaints:

1. Hear to what they have to say

Complaining customers want to be heard. They want to express their frustration, so allow them. Listen first to what they have to say and let them say it. Always give room for them to burst, just listen. Their sentiments are valuable; this is where you’ll get the feedback about your services or products.

2. Apologize and Empathize

Frustrated customers want to hear your apology. Especially, if it’s the fault of your personnel or a flaw to company’s procedures, they deserve your sorry. So, say it, apologize and try to put your feet in their shoes. Empathize, tell them that you understand what they feel and you’re deeply sorry about it.

3. Offer a solution

Customers who experienced bad service or received a lemon product deserve to be well compensated. Offer a solution for the problem. It should be attainable and feasible. Promise only what you can deliver. You can also give him/her possible options of your proposed solution. Lastly, be fair always.

4. Implement the solution

Make sure the promised solution to the customer is met. You don’t want to frustrate a customer the 2nd time, so be sure to deliver what you say you will deliver. You can also monitor the status of the solution and update your customer about it from time to time. This will make your customer feel that they are valued and they will appreciate it. Always deliver the solution with a smile, be merry.

Complaining customers, even if most of the time they are irate, are assets to businesses. Handling them appropriately with a smile and a toned down voice will prevent you from losing them and even turn them from frustrated to loyal customers.

Through them, you get feedback as to what they are experiencing with regards to your products or services. Knowing these will help you improve the quality of the products you deliver or the services that you offer. Always remember that your business’ existence is reliant to your customers, without them there is no business.

Author bio:

Jessica Francisco is a cheerful 25-year-old with an odd sense of fun. The least of her broad range of hobbies include swimming, hiking and listening to the music of Michael Jackson. Jessica is also one of the editors of Luke C. Roxas.

This question popped up into my mind today as I think of the recent crisis in the Philippine government last week that has brought untold repercussions in  public governance and the Filipinos in general. 

The crisis was the result of the standoff between the two co-equal and independent branches of government – the Executive Department and the Supreme Court.

It happened when the country’s former President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Department of Justice for her to travel abroad to seek medical treatment.

Arroyo could not go abroad because of the pending “WatchList order” by the Department of Justice for her, even though at that time, no criminal cases were filed against her in court.

President Benigno Aquino, through his alter ego Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima, appeared to have defied the TRO issued by the Supreme Court, on the flimsy excuse that her department has not yet received the written order, though everybody knew about it, as it was broadcast in all the mass media.

Later, de Lima changed her tune, saying that the government would be filing a motion for reconsideration on the TRO. In truth, the government had been defying the Supreme Court order, and did everything to ensure that Arroyo could not leave the country.

Then the government’s Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Jesse Robredo, another alter ego of the President, said he was asking the legal experts so that in case of conflicting orders from the Supreme Court and the Secretary of Justice, he would know whose orders should be obeyed.

Of course, it is elementary that the order of the Supreme Court interpreting the law, takes precedence over other orders, and that it must be obeyed. That is the basic principle in a democratic and republican state. In fact, any diligent second year law student know this principle.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Secretaries de Lima and Robredo, under President Aquino, were setting a bad example to the citizens and creating dangerous precedents in not obeying court orders even from the Supreme Court.

This incident has led me to ask the oft-repeated question: Is Leadership a myth?

A country’s development (or the company’s success) is dependent on the success of its leader. On the other hand, the success of the leader depends on the good, competent, experienced followers and subordinates who constitute his management team.

Thus, a country’s success – economic development, good peace and order, vibrant investment climate, employment opportunities, improvement in the quality of life of the people, depends on firm and effective leadership and astute management of its resources – human, land, capital, entrepreneurship, and sound public governance.

Therefore, leadership is NOT a myth. It is important in governing a country like the Philippines.

However, in the case of President Aquino, without good, experienced, competent, and committed cabinet secretaries and without the people who follow him, leadership cannot be effective.

For peace, development, and progress cannot proceed without the rule of law, or if the rule of law is not followed.

*source of image: sncsolutions.wordpress.com

What do successful leaders have that the rest of us don’t?

Is it their general attitude when faced with adversity? Is it their ability to take risks? Or is it their utmost sense of purpose?

Here are 6 characteristics of great leaders coming from 6 of the Philippines’ emerging thought leaders and innovators:

Great leaders have vision. When Mark Ruiz looked at the sari-sari store, he saw a lot more than just the traditional mom and pop. He saw the potential of these micro-businesses to realize new revenue streams and evolve into a community of stores that serve as hubs for goods and services.

Today, Mark is the co-founder of Hapinoy, a micro financing program that reinvents and ensures the success of the humble sari-sari store.

Great leaders have courage. Fe Perez Agudo faced giants when she accepted her role as President & CEO of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc.

When the opportunity came in 2001 to start up the official distributorship of Hyundai Motor Co. in the Philippines, she did not hesitate. Even though her main task was to overcome the common perception of Hyundai as a cheap, poor-quality, unreliable brand from Korea with low resale value.

Fe was out to prove that a Korean brand can enter and eventually steal market share from the Japanese motoring giants. She also bravely took on the challenge of competing as a woman winning in a male-dominated industry.

Great leaders have imagination. The year was 2001 and there were many Filipinos who still did not have internet access although most of them had mobile phones. Internet penetration was a measly 1%.

It took Dennis Mendiola, a Filipino with great imagination, to find convergence between the cellphone and internet. Dennis, along with other imaginative Filipinos, founded Chikka. Chikka enabled Filipinos to become part of an instant messaging community even without internet access.

Great leaders have significance. Noel Lorenzana is the CEO of Nutri-Asia Philippines, manufacturer of leading brands such as UFC and DatuPuti. He sees his brand as more than just a business. He believes that it is also important for business leaders to find meaning or cause in what they do. This is what he says:

“Apart from getting a chance to be part of the team that shapes the future of a true Filipino company, it is gratifying to know that what we make plays a significant role in the lives of people: whether it is building family ties, creating new friendships, bridging broken relationships, remembering home, or simply rewarding oneself after a hard and honest day’s work.”

Great leaders have compassion. While in Zamboanga City, Jay Jaboneta heard about a nearby village where young children had to swim 2 kilometers and walk another 5 kilometers to get to school.

During his flight home, Jay thought about how he could help. “I had so much admiration for these children,” he says. “I felt they deserved to be rewarded and helped for all their efforts.” Jay posted a story about the children’s plight on his Facebook page.

The response was overwhelming and he was able to start the Yellowboat Project and Philippine Funds for Little Kids to help kids of Zamboanga and Masbate to go to school and help their nearby communities. Jay is the embodiment of a leader that has heart.

Great leaders have influence. You don’t get to 34,232 followers on Facebook and counting without influence.  Francis Kong is the president of Success Option Publishing Company, director of Inspire Leadership Consultancy and a columnist, bestselling author, as well as an international speaker, trainer and consultant.

But Francis is much much more than all those words put together. Through his years of experience in business and speaking, he has touched many people’s lives and he constantly builds value in others. He is an influential leader because he is more focused on enriching others than enriching himself.

These are the 6 characteristics that set these 6 emerging leaders and innovators apart. On December 7, 2011, Inspire Leadership Consultancy will bring together this powerhouse group for the Voices of Leadership Event.

Listen to them and be inspired by their stories of triumph against adversity and their determination to make a difference in the lives of the Filipino people. To know more about this event, click here.

About the writer. Lois Yasay is a trainer by profession and a traveler by passion. She is slowly realizing her dream of making a living by doing what she loves. She blogs at wearesolesisters.com and is currently working as a Project Manager for Inspire Leadership Consultancy.

Venue of the Philippine Blog Awards – Visayas is Silay City, Negros Occidental, to be held at the Dr. Jose C. Locsin Cultural and Civic Center.

The Dr. Jose C. Locsin Cultural and Civic Center is the first cultural center in the Philippines, and is older than the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Manila.

Silay City is the seat of arts, culture and eco-tourism in Western Visayas. The Department of Tourism identified Silay as one of the 25 major tourist destinations in the Philippines.

The Philippine Blog Awards-Visayas is also sponsored by the City Government of Silay and other companies like AirPhil Express, Smart Communications and Nokia.

If you are a blogger and wants to attend this memorable activity, you can preregister here.