Clarion Communications

Archive for December, 2009

Psychopath!  What picture does that word conjure in your mind?

Too often we associate the idea of psychopath with Anthony Hopkins brilliant portrayal of Dr. Hanibal Lecter.  Lecter is a psychiatrist with an eating disorder: He’s a cannibal.  So you see him on the screen apparently eating someone’s brains.

Now that picture is not one of a business consultant.  But neither is it a picture of a real psychopath.

There are  number of identifiers of a psychopath, and his near-twin brother, the narcissistic personality disorder.  They share some common traits.  One of the identifiers is a continuous attempt to manipulate people and outcomes.
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Being self-employed is the dream of many. But as one self-employed person quipped, “I used to work for a boss; now I work for a tyrant.” Or, as another put it, “When you’re self-employed, you’re the first one hired and the last one fired.” That’s true, but you may also be the last one to get paid. Undaunted, people launch themselves in various self-employment projects.

In recent years, the choice of self-employment has not been an option; it became an imperative as business after business has shed its workers for a variety of reasons. In the midst of the business down turn, Read the rest of this entry »

In the life of a business, advertising is an area that can make or break many. Nothing eats up money like advertising costs, so it is vital that the business gets an equitable return from its advertising dollars. In spite of this fact, many businesses still make the same old mistakes in advertising, thereby failing to get maximum value from their expenditure. Here`s a list of some of the more common mistakes in advertising.

1. Failure to Identify Customer Needs
Given that our goods and services are purchased to satisfy some need, it is surprising to see just how much advertising fails to meet the test of telling customers how this particular product or service will meet a perceived need.

The needs of customers are not that many, so it is difficult to understand why so much advertising fails Read the rest of this entry »