1. Spend smarter
You may have to spend less on marketing. Not because marketing should be cut first or most (it most certainly should not), but because your company may cut budgets across the board. In fact, by showing how you intend to spend smarter, you will make it easier to fight for your resources (see below).
By "spend smarter" I mean create a clear-cut justification for the investment. While you won't always be able to measure the ROI (this is marketing, after all), you can have your people create a compelling business case for each investment. Then, when it comes time to justify the investment, you will have established sound business reasoning behind it. And that's what the CEO and CFO need to see in a recession.
2. Double-down on your current customers
Sure it's more fun to get new customers, but it's more practical in a downturn to provide more value (and get more in return) from your current customers.
When customers make decisions in a downturn, they're more likely to go with a more trusted source. If they're more likely to go with you, then you want to make it easier and more obvious to them to go with you. Market to them. Enable your sales teams to be more effective with them. Ask current customers what they need from you.
Care for them, and they will be even more likely to stick with you if the going gets tough.
3. Outsmart your competitors
You have an opportunity in a downturn to win market share from your competitors. If you pay close attention to what's happening in your target markets and how customers are reacting to a recession, you can act early and often with changes in product (if you can change it quickly), price, and positioning (especially as perceived needs change).
For example, in the last technology downturn, software companies became very creative in their pricing schema, creating many variations of software as a service (SaaS) that enabled them to sell when their competitors were stuck in an old paradigm.
4. Invest in growing market segments
In every downturn there are market segments that grow faster than others. It's your job as a marketer to help your company see and understand these market segments, and determine whether you can quickly win business in those fast-growing market segments.
These may be segments you're already selling to, but not particularly focused on; or they may represent new segments—and new opportunities for your company. At the same time, you will want to reduce your investments in the segments that will get hit the most in the downturn.
5. Fight for your resources
I've argued that it's marketing's responsibility to drive strategic issues (see CMOs as True Leaders). In a recession, this becomes even more important.
Knee-jerk reactions of companies where the CMO is not deeply involved in strategy are often to cut budgets and people in marketing disproportionately. This results in marketing's playing a less important role, and an extremely inefficient pendulum-swing of dollars and people that result in being caught flat-footed and losing out to competitors very shortly after the cuts are made.
It's marketing's responsibility to fight for its resources, and doing the four items above will help you win that battle.
by Glen Gow
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Google Adds Message Translation To Gmail!
Gmail Labs just added another nifty tool to its suite of features—message translation. Using Google Translate, Gmail will help you translate any message that you receive in another language into a language you can understand. The feature can be used for 41 languages.
Gmail will suggest a language to translate the message to, and also gives you the option to translate the message to different language.
If your email conversation includes Gmail users, you can have entire conversation in multiple languages with each participant reading the messages in whatever language is most comfortable for them. Google admits that Google Translate doesn’t always get the perfect translation but the feature is helpful to get the general idea of the content of an email.
Jeff Chin, product manager for Google Translate, said that this feature, like many others rolled out of Gmail Labs, uses the “power of cloud computing” to scale this tool to all Gmail users without having to buy servers, install software, or write code that needs to be integrated into each application. Chin adds that the cloud has helped Google Translate process billions of words in several languages to all users. Plus, he says that the application is able to quickly add new languages and updates to users quickly and efficiently.
Gmail will suggest a language to translate the message to, and also gives you the option to translate the message to different language.
If your email conversation includes Gmail users, you can have entire conversation in multiple languages with each participant reading the messages in whatever language is most comfortable for them. Google admits that Google Translate doesn’t always get the perfect translation but the feature is helpful to get the general idea of the content of an email.
Jeff Chin, product manager for Google Translate, said that this feature, like many others rolled out of Gmail Labs, uses the “power of cloud computing” to scale this tool to all Gmail users without having to buy servers, install software, or write code that needs to be integrated into each application. Chin adds that the cloud has helped Google Translate process billions of words in several languages to all users. Plus, he says that the application is able to quickly add new languages and updates to users quickly and efficiently.
Tesla Worth More Than Half A Billion Dollars After Daimler Investment
Daimler got that 10% stake in Tesla that was announced today for $50 million, says a source with knowledge of the deal. They’ve actually taken 9% (they announced “nearly 10 percent” and the post money valuation is $550 million. Our source also says that Tesla’s application for $350 million in federal loans has been informally approved and will also be announced shortly.
That’s not too shabby for a company that was down to just $9 million in cash late last year. The company has also recently said that 1,000 preorders for the new Model S sedan have been received. Over 500 were reserved in the first week after it was unveiled.
Tesla Motors is a company looking to produce a high-performance electric sports car, and is backed by a number of high-profile investors.
Source - Techcrunch.com
That’s not too shabby for a company that was down to just $9 million in cash late last year. The company has also recently said that 1,000 preorders for the new Model S sedan have been received. Over 500 were reserved in the first week after it was unveiled.
Tesla Motors is a company looking to produce a high-performance electric sports car, and is backed by a number of high-profile investors.
Source - Techcrunch.com
Five (5) lessons about the way we treat people!
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor
gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions until I read
the last one:
'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times.. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
'Absolutely,' said the professor.. 'In your careers
you will meet many people. All are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello.'
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American
woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had
broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally
unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man
took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a
giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached..
It read:
'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
the other night. The rain drenched not only my
clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away... God
bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others.'
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.
'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it.
'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.
'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had /DIV>
to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will
save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his
face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away?'.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister ALL of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.
During my second month of college, our professor
gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions until I read
the last one:
'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times.. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
'Absolutely,' said the professor.. 'In your careers
you will meet many people. All are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello.'
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American
woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had
broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally
unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man
took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a
giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached..
It read:
'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
the other night. The rain drenched not only my
clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away... God
bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others.'
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.
'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it.
'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.
'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had /DIV>
to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will
save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his
face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away?'.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister ALL of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.
Motorola Deploys Location Based Services for NTT DoCoMo
Motorola has announced that Japan's NTT DoCoMo will deploy its Mobile Advanced Location System (MALS) to power DoCoMo's new location based services. Motorola MALS is compliant with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) 1.0 standard, allowing faster and more accurate detection of the position of DoCoMo's users, even when using base stations of overseas carriers in the roaming areas.
By using new location based services with handsets supporting SUPL, DoCoMo's users not only can use the services in Japan, but more importantly, they can utilize other services like digital maps, store locations and navigation assistance while traveling overseas. The services also make many new applications possible, such as pedestrian navigation, to bring highly personalized mobile experiences to users.
"It is DoCoMo's priority to enable great convenience for our customers," said Mitsunobu Komori, managing executive vice president, chief technical officer, member of the Board of Directors and managing director of the R&D Center at NTT DoCoMo. "The deployment of Motorola Mobile Advanced Location System further reinforces our commitment to this effort. Motorola's system has a proven track record in the international market and provides us with the suitable solution for rapid and efficient service deployment. The system has been tested and proven to deliver excellent performance in obtaining position data and detecting location."
Motorola MALS detects the user's location by calculating reference positions provided by mobile networks and GPS satellites. The system is supported by the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), which makes use of Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) to reduce measuring time and improve accuracy compared to the conventional standalone GPS.
"This new deployment proves that NTT DoCoMo has confidence in Motorola and values our optimal mobile solutions and leadership in advanced wireless technologies and applications services," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Home & Networks Mobility, Motorola EMEA & Asia Pacific. "Motorola is committed to providing operators with fully integrated and customizable mobile application solutions that enable them to deliver personalized media experiences to consumers. We are pleased to help DoCoMo drive its value-added services by using our expertise fostered through working with leading operators globally."
Source = Cellular News
By using new location based services with handsets supporting SUPL, DoCoMo's users not only can use the services in Japan, but more importantly, they can utilize other services like digital maps, store locations and navigation assistance while traveling overseas. The services also make many new applications possible, such as pedestrian navigation, to bring highly personalized mobile experiences to users.
"It is DoCoMo's priority to enable great convenience for our customers," said Mitsunobu Komori, managing executive vice president, chief technical officer, member of the Board of Directors and managing director of the R&D Center at NTT DoCoMo. "The deployment of Motorola Mobile Advanced Location System further reinforces our commitment to this effort. Motorola's system has a proven track record in the international market and provides us with the suitable solution for rapid and efficient service deployment. The system has been tested and proven to deliver excellent performance in obtaining position data and detecting location."
Motorola MALS detects the user's location by calculating reference positions provided by mobile networks and GPS satellites. The system is supported by the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), which makes use of Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) to reduce measuring time and improve accuracy compared to the conventional standalone GPS.
"This new deployment proves that NTT DoCoMo has confidence in Motorola and values our optimal mobile solutions and leadership in advanced wireless technologies and applications services," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Home & Networks Mobility, Motorola EMEA & Asia Pacific. "Motorola is committed to providing operators with fully integrated and customizable mobile application solutions that enable them to deliver personalized media experiences to consumers. We are pleased to help DoCoMo drive its value-added services by using our expertise fostered through working with leading operators globally."
Source = Cellular News
Vodafone Net Profits Drops on Impairment Charges
Vodafone has reported a 15.6% rise in full year revenues to reach £41.02 billion (US$62.47 billion), although profits dropped to £3.08 billion (US$4.7 billion) from £6.76 billion (US$10.3 billion) a year ago, largely due to a write down of the Spanish and Turkish networks. Ignoring the impairment charges, the groups adjusted operating profit was up 16.7% to £11.8 billion. Group EBITDA up 10.0% to £14.5 billion.
Net debt has increased to £34 billion (US$51.8 billion), primarily as a result of foreign currency movements. The company recorded impairment losses in relation to operations in Spain (£3.4 billion), Turkey (£2.25 billion) and Ghana (£250 million).
The proportionate mobile customer base stood at 303 million at 31 March 2009.
Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, commented: "These results demonstrate the impact of the early actions we took to address the current economic conditions and highlight the benefits of our geographic diversity. The business continues to generate cash strongly and we have made good progress in implementing the strategy announced in November."
As expected, the company has accelerated its £1 billion cost reduction programme. In the 2009 financial year, the firm achieved approximately £200 million of cost savings, which were partially offset by restructuring charges. Vodafone now intends to deliver at least 65% of the total programme in the 2010 financial year, ahead of plan.
The company also benefited by £767 million following the resolution of long standing tax issues relating to the Group’s acquisition and subsequent restructuring of the Mannesmann Group.
Revenue in Europe declined by 2.1% on an organic basis, as benefits from new tariffs and promotions and a strong performance in data revenue were more than offset by the impact of the deteriorating European economy on voice and messaging revenue, including from roaming, usage growth, ongoing competitive pricing pressures and lower termination rates.
In Africa and Central Europe, revenue grew by 3.9% on an organic basis, with double digit revenue growth in Vodacom being offset by weakening trends in Turkey and Romania. Benefits from the increase in the average customer base were partially offset by both weaker economic conditions in the more mature markets in Central Europe and the impact of termination rate cuts.
In Asia Pacific and Middle East, revenue grew by 19% on a pro forma basis including India, a result of the rise in the average customer base, although revenue growth has slowed, primarily as a result of stronger competition coupled with maturing market conditions.
Look ahead, the company expects revenues and adjusted operating profits for 2009/10 to be flat, in line with the 2008/9 results, although free cash flow is expected to rise. The company also warned that it expects prospects for its Turkish network to be "challenging".
Net debt has increased to £34 billion (US$51.8 billion), primarily as a result of foreign currency movements. The company recorded impairment losses in relation to operations in Spain (£3.4 billion), Turkey (£2.25 billion) and Ghana (£250 million).
The proportionate mobile customer base stood at 303 million at 31 March 2009.
Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, commented: "These results demonstrate the impact of the early actions we took to address the current economic conditions and highlight the benefits of our geographic diversity. The business continues to generate cash strongly and we have made good progress in implementing the strategy announced in November."
As expected, the company has accelerated its £1 billion cost reduction programme. In the 2009 financial year, the firm achieved approximately £200 million of cost savings, which were partially offset by restructuring charges. Vodafone now intends to deliver at least 65% of the total programme in the 2010 financial year, ahead of plan.
The company also benefited by £767 million following the resolution of long standing tax issues relating to the Group’s acquisition and subsequent restructuring of the Mannesmann Group.
Revenue in Europe declined by 2.1% on an organic basis, as benefits from new tariffs and promotions and a strong performance in data revenue were more than offset by the impact of the deteriorating European economy on voice and messaging revenue, including from roaming, usage growth, ongoing competitive pricing pressures and lower termination rates.
In Africa and Central Europe, revenue grew by 3.9% on an organic basis, with double digit revenue growth in Vodacom being offset by weakening trends in Turkey and Romania. Benefits from the increase in the average customer base were partially offset by both weaker economic conditions in the more mature markets in Central Europe and the impact of termination rate cuts.
In Asia Pacific and Middle East, revenue grew by 19% on a pro forma basis including India, a result of the rise in the average customer base, although revenue growth has slowed, primarily as a result of stronger competition coupled with maturing market conditions.
Look ahead, the company expects revenues and adjusted operating profits for 2009/10 to be flat, in line with the 2008/9 results, although free cash flow is expected to rise. The company also warned that it expects prospects for its Turkish network to be "challenging".
Dtmf Tester on Asterisk!
Here you go with dialplan on how to create dtmf tester in asterisk!
exten => dtmftest,1,Answer()
exten => dtmftest,2,Playback(privacy-prompt)
exten => dtmftest,3,Read(digitdial,,1)
exten => dtmftest,4,SayDigits(${digitdial})
exten => dtmftest,5,Goto(dtmftest,3)
Regards,
Muneeb
exten => dtmftest,1,Answer()
exten => dtmftest,2,Playback(privacy-prompt)
exten => dtmftest,3,Read(digitdial,,1)
exten => dtmftest,4,SayDigits(${digitdial})
exten => dtmftest,5,Goto(dtmftest,3)
Regards,
Muneeb
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