Everything About Business Except The Bottom Line: FunnyBusiness

Are Real Estate Agents Going Six Feet Under

This is cross-posted at Blogher.

If you go to the new Zillow.com website you can get a bird's eye view of some houses that are for sale. To demonstrate this feature, Zillow includes some "famous" homes, among them, the house used for the HBO television series," Six Feet Under."

A bit Freudian? Some may say yes. While Zillow maintains it is not going to become a real estate brokerage, there are others who say this service, which lets you estimate teh value of your home and homes you may be interested in buying, is the first nail in the coffin for real estate agents.

Seattle-based blogger Marlow Harris whose blog,  360 Digest, looks at real estate and popular culture sees Zillow as a technological grim reaper.

Zillow is a new start-up, based in Seattle, which recently raised $32 million in venture capital. It’s headed by Richard Barton, founder of Expedia.

Expedia didn’t kill the travel agency per se, but it was definitely one of the nails in the coffin. Since 1995, many travel agents have exited the industry. Of the ones still in business, some have abandoned the “brick and mortar” agency for a home-based business to reduce overhead, and those who remain have managed to survive by promoting other travel products like cruise lines and train excursions, or by promoting their ability to aggressively research and assemble complex travel packages on a moment’s notice (essentially acting as a very advanced concierge).

Many people are expecting Zillow to shake up the real estate business in a similar fashion. "

Harris says that if Zillow is successful, the people who will be hurt the most are women.

"It’s interesting that the majority of real estate agents are female, as they seem to excell at this “people-person” type of job. The “skimmers’ at Zillow and Redfin are all males, at least the ones listed on their mastheads. A lot of real estate agents are women who have entered the workforce after their children are grown. They are people-people, not strategists, not computer programers, not business school grads. They are attracted to the business for a variety of reasons but if you ask them, a lot will say they like to “help people”.....The subtext of what these “real estate repackagers” are saying is that the average real estate agent (most likely a woman who has entered the business after her children are grown) makes more money than she deserves, and they want a cut of the pie. And they know how to get it, by building superior websites to lure the new, young buyers who are entering the real estate market and who are used to researching and ordering everything online. "

Harris lists several links that include articles about Zillow.One  of the more telling is an interview in Businessweek online  with Zillow founder Richard Barton( who also founded Expedia)

"Barton says the best brokers will be able to build on what Zillow offers. The bad ones could get squeezed out. He cited a California Association of Realtors study that found that buyers who searched on the Internet spent an average of 1.94 weeks with an agent before buying, while traditional buyers spent an average of seven weeks.

Said Barton: "It's very easy to think, 'Great, he's done all the work and I can earn a big, fat commission on 1.94 weeks of work.' You have to rethink that."

 

A Tale of Two Restaurants: Au Bon Pain & The Good Earth

As anyone who studied the rivalry between McDonald's and Burger King will tell you, it's not the quality of the food that creates loyal customers: it's the experience. This is the tale of one customer, two  restaurants and how managers can either taint or enhance customer loyalty.

They did a bad, bad thing

For the past several years my cousin Paulette has met her daughter Michelle and grandson Erik at their local mall. As part of their weekly routine they go to the Au Bon Pain for coffee.

Every single Friday. At least 150  times Paulette, Michelle and Erik have gone to the very same Au Bon Pain.

On one particular Friday, Paulette left her "bag" at the table. When she returned five minutes later, it was gone. She contacted the manager, mall security. The police were called.

Paulette canceled her credit cards and based on the advise of the  police began the 'trash can search". As the police told her, purse snatchers often just take the money and dump the purse in the trash. Paulette went through every single trash can in the mall.

After she came up empty handed she decided to go back to Au Bon Pain --just in case. While she was there she went into the ladies room. As she washing her hands and getting ready to throw the paper towel into their trash can, she noticed something odd about the plastic bag lining the trash can. Sure enough, underneath the plastic bag were two Au Bon Pain bags  and in those bags were Paulette's purse. Everything was there. The cards. The cash. Everything. Nothing--not the lipstick. not her palm pilot. Not even a pen was missing.

Given the circumstances Paulette came to the conclusion that it was probably someone working at Au Bon Pain who had stashed the  purse underneath the trash bags until they got off work.

When she shared her theory with the manager, his response was,
"It couldn't possibly be anyone who works here."

Huh?  Paulette was astounded. She called corporate headquarters. They listened to the situation, said they would check into it. They never called her back.Paulette vowed to never go to an Au Bon Pain again.

She didn't for several months. But after awhile she missed her cup of jo and found herself once again going to the Au Bon Pain. Maybe that's what Au Bon Pain was counting on.

As far as their bottom line is concerned, they have their customer back.But sometimes you can't rely on the numbers. Paulette  is no longer a loyal customer. She is a disgruntled one.A customer who is very willing to tell her story whenever she has the opportunity.  If the mall had another place to get a good cup of coffee she would be there in a coffee bean minute.

They did a good good thing.

Paulette and Iwere having a late lunch at The Good Earth Restaurant in Edina, Minnesota. We ordered our food. We got our drinks. We chatted. We watched everyone around us getting served. Finally after 25 minutes or so we mentioned that we hadn't received our food.Another 10 minutes passed.

When our server returned , she said our food was on its way but because it had been so delayed, the restaurant was treating us to our lunch. Now, The Good Earth could have simply apologized. Orders get lost in restaurants all the time. They could have offered us a complimentary dessert or offered to pick up one of our meals.  They didn't have to comp everything.

That's the point. Their act of "unexpected  generous customer service" was so appreciated that my  loyalty to The Good Earth has now reached a new level .

Will this mean I will go to The Good Earth more often? Absolutely. And that is a good good thing.

Image Credit: Flickr Image from La Familia Brophy

Gray skies are gonna clear up,

You know when John Stewart leads his program with a clip that the intention of this  spot didn't quite hit the mark. Either the people who created this commercial just took a class in Advertising 101 where the professor demanded they figure out their "real benefits OR, actually, there isn't an "Or" that could possibly explain this asinine commercial. What were they thinking? . Click here to watch.

As I am sure the folks at WTWO are learning now that they've become the laughing stock of the country, is that when someone says "real benefits" what they mean is "benefits" that the target audience cares about.

While the folks at WTWO are probably "taking a meeting' today to figure out whether to pull the spot, apologize to their competitors, or just grin and bear the public ridicule,one thing is for sure, this spot will live in Advertising Infamy as one of the the worst commercials ever.

It's Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature

This is cross-posted at Blogher

When I started posting this morning my intent was to feature the blog of  Alisha Vincent. Vincent is a newbie to Blogher. If you go to the Business & Career blogroll you'll find her as a new member.  Two hours later I'm feeling a bit conflicted.

My conflict began when I started searching for some photos of Alisha's artwork. See, Alisha's blog is about the business side of being an artist.

I was genuinely excited to share her blog. It has great advice.

You can work in an office or tell yourself that parenting is your true path in life but if creativity is something you've been hit over the head with, there is no greater or lesser priority. It's simply something you have to do. So make time for it.
...Don't avoid what's in front of you. Take what was thrust into your hand and do something with it. Make art with meaning. Make art with intention and purpose. Be creative and don't look back. And, above all, stop asking why or what you're supposed to do with this passion... and just do it, already!

And Practical Tips

So, you want to be a successful, self-supporting artist or craftsperson? And, you know a million and one things you need to work on, learn, or develop to get you to that goal?

What you need now is to SET YOUR GOALS IN STONE by BUILDING IN CONSEQUENCES.

Your graceful walk towards the goal will turn into a gallop (or in my case, a procrastination frenzy) when you take time NOW to...

... mark your calendar with the date you expect to accomplish a task;

... plan a studio open house, release party, unveiling, or opening night;

... print postcards or invitations for your open house or new work unveiling;

... invite your peers, people from your network, and those you admire to attend your event;

... post your event date and some rough details of what you hope to accomplish on your own blog.

Imagine having a party at your home or studio to announce your business name, reveal your logo, unveil your latest work, or have a group critique session.

Would it really be so difficult to just put a simple consequence on the horizon that pushes?

Procrastinate tomorrow.
Mark your calendar today.

But  when I went surfing to find a sample of Alisha's art to include in this post, I discovered something else out about her that made me let go of the fact that I had spent several hours reading her blog.

When you read Alisha's blog you get the distinct impression she is a working artist.

But, artists… we don’t always see it. We wrap our heart into things. We tell ourselves the minutiae IS important and that even if people don’t notice it – it’s the intent that matters. For a maintenance man, going through unrecognized motions is draining and absurd. For an artist, going through the motions with inconsequential details is still draining and absurd… we just tell ourselves it’s not because it helps justify our wasted energy or it demonstrates how dedicated we truly are.

Her About me section on her blog says a lot...

fine art, contemporary craft, creative careers, arts administration, business education, obtainable goals, realistic expectations, art education, networking, success

But its what she doesn't say that has my undies in a bundle.

Alisha is the Public Affairs Director of the The Rosen Group.

The Rosen Group, an arts marketing, publishing and advocacy agency located in Baltimore, Maryland, was founded in 1981 by Wendy Rosen. The Rosen Group was created to function similar to a trade association for American crafts. "What craftspeople needed," Rosen says, "was support from the kind of infrastructure other industries have developed — trade shows, publications, and associations – but adjusted to the needs and values of crafts artists."

Now does that negate the quality of the information in her blog? No. The blog  does answer the  key question she poses

Where do ART, CRAFT, and ENTREPRENEURSHIP merge? Is it possible to make artwork, sell it, and not drive yourself into premature insanity? Is an artful life more fullfilling?

The conflict is that she never tells you she is an employee of  an organization that serves as a trade organization for craft arts. This is her job.

The first time I heard the expression "High Art" was in the 1970s.I was living in the Fan District of Richmond Virginia. My neighbors were art students and art professors. They were all struggling artists.

"High Art"  was part of their never ending conversation because my artist neighbors  were continually struggling  between the desire to create "high art" and their very real desire to earn a living.

Every profession has it's own  "high art'-- To me, High Art in blogging means transparency, disclosure and ethical behavior. It means taking the high road.

I just hope that the Rosen Group will see the benefit of "High Art" and start acknowledging that Alisha's Blog is a business strategy.

What were they thinking? Advertisers Gone Wild

Advertisers will tell you the point of advertising is to generate awareness, support a brand image, and motivate a target audience to take some action ( often to spend money on the product or service being advertised)

Over at WonderBranding, Michele Miller is wondering about Tampax's latest spot, dubbed the" Tampax Dance".It's an ad to get "pad" users to convert to the joys of tampons.

Click here to view

Since I'm not in the 'target market' I sought the advice of someone who is: my 17- year old daughter. As I showed her the spot, I watched her facial expression--it's best described as her WTF or  Elvis look...you know where you do the one-sided nostril scrunch.

Here are my research findings based on a sample size of one.  "I get it. If you wear  Tampax  you can be do whatever you want and you won't have leaks. Notice," said Berit, "That when she did the cartwheel they focused on  her butt."

"Would the ad make you want to use Tampax?" I asked.

"No," she said."I don't like them."

For me the problem with the spot is not the creative -- it's the entire message that if you wear a "pad' your period is not private and if you wear a tampon it is. Having worn both over a very long period of my life, let me say that ifyou want your period to be private ( no leaks) unless you are on the pill and enjoy mercifully light periods,  there are many a day when you will want to double dip-- pad plus tampon.

No mention of advertising today could go without mention of the very serious and troubling lawsuit that the

good folks at  WarrenKremer Paino Advertising have filed   against blogger Lance Dutson for copyright infringement, defamation, and trade libel/injurious falsehood.

Dutson is a Maine resident and blogger who was less than impressed with the work and dollars that Maine's Office of Tourism was spending with the New York ad agency. He found an embarrassing, and depending on your perspective, amusing "mistake" . It seems that on their 'rough drafts' of an ad for the state they used a dummy phone number . And, of course, the number they used  was for a sex phone service. Now, these dummy ads were on the state's web site for anyone to see.

For his part, Dutson is getting a lot of support from folks who see this as a First Amendment Issue.  While this case is fascinating, it also has long -term ramifications for business and bloggers. As they advised  at PR Speak,

Whatever side of the coin you're on when it comes to the effect blogs have on business, this much is true: they're a force and they're not going away.  If you don't believe me, just do a Google search on Warren Kremer Paino Advertising LLC. What pops up in the first result set?  Something positive?  Nope.  A couple more days of this and blog posts will be the only Google results for the firm. 

This is a tired theme in PR blogs, but..."note to business": you have to start working with blogs and bloggers (or at least paying attention to them), even if you don't "get" the technology or don't subscribe to the notion that blogs represent a tectonic shift in mass communications.  Spend the time to learn about blogging, or run the risk of suffering the kind of negative attention this particular advertising agency is working through today.        

Publicity specialists will tell you there is no such thing as bad publicity. The Chinese would say: Be careful for what you want...you may just get it.

Tags: blogs, advertising, tampax, branding, law, first amendment

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Chicken or the Egg; China has Hooters--Chinese Women Getting Bolt-Ons

While the Hooters in Shanghai, China has been in business  since 2004 --it seems that some are saying the restaurant is having a major impact on China's plastic surgery industry.

Last week it was reported that women in China ,who traditionally been small breasted women, now seem to be exhibiting the benefits of 'better nutrition".

"It's so different from the past when most young women would wear A- or B-cup bras," Triumph brand saleswoman Zhang Jing told the Shanghai Daily from the Landmark Plaza of China's commercial hub.

"You...never expect those thin women to have such nice figures if they are not plastic."

The article in the Australian Courier-Mail goes on to say that the Beijing Institute of Technology has its own explanation for everything busting out all over in China,

"This phenomenon, it said, was due to women eating more nutritiously and taking part in more sport.

Similar growth in the average height of children prompted a rethink last year in Beijing on the height allowance for free bus "

Call it good old American cynicism but  The Dread Pundit Bluto believes there is a Hooters connection.

"It comes as no surprise to me that a world-famous Hooters Restaurant franchise opens in China at the same time that it's being reported Chinese women are becoming more bosomy.....In my estimation, this shouldn't be a big problem to resolve. Furthermore, the 'pressing demand' could likely be a sales opportunity for American manufacturers who have been known (probably NSFW) to market F-, G-, and H-cup sizes.  Improved nutrition is considered responsible."

Meanwhile, back in Shanghai, there is a fascinating interview with one of the Hooter Girl's who applied for the job upon her parents suggestion who "liked the happy atmosphere" in the restaurant.

According to the Shangalist, her American name is Quasar

Had you ever heard of Hooters before? No.

What did they tell you about Hooters? It's a famous American restaurant established in 1985 in Florida. And it is famous for its unique sports style and hot girls.

So they told you about the hot girls? Yes, but we know we are different from the native Hooters girls.

"In what way? Not as open as them.

What do you mean, not as open? Well, at the begining, there were several native girls. They came here to train the girls here and I have been told they were very energetic and hot. Because of the Chinese culture, sometimes we are still very shy.

When you say native girls, do you mean American? Yeah.

So maybe you aren't as outgoing as the American girls ... but are the Chinese Hooters girls just as hot? Maybe some of us are. Hooters is a large family and everyone has her own character, so we can attract different customers."

To watch to  the Chinese Hooter "Hot Girls' doing the hokey pokey, click here.

Hat Tip  to:

Carnival of the Capitalists

And, a Shout Out and best wishes to Carnival of Business that published its second edition yesterday..including a post from FunnyBusiness.

 

 

No articles match your search criteria. Please try again."Take Your Daughter or Son To Work Day"

Cross-posted at Blogher

If you took your daughter, son, neice or nephew to work with you last Thursday, you're evidently not blogging about it. In fact it doesn't seem like anyone is talking about this year's Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day.

If parents and children participated...and according to the PR "16 million" were anticipated to participate...why isn't anyone talking about it?

In trying to put a post together, I searched Technorati, Google,and MSNBC,High Beam, Wall Street Journal,and Businessweek Online and came up with one company that released a news release about their plans for the day---Merrill Lynch .(They were a sponsor of the event)

Evidently  a couple of years ago,  Ms.Foundation  formalized the day that some had coined "National Play Hookey Day". For whatever reason, coverage of the day seems to have evaporated.

Given that I have had a home office for nearly  10 years, every day is 'take my kids to work day". However, when I did work in an office, we made a big deal about the day. And, it seems that it was as worthy of news coverage as the perennial events: Ground Hogs Day, The Friday after Thanksgiving shopping at the mall story, and Britney Spears is pregnant,again.

With 2- hour cable and millions of blogs, you'd think someone would have spent a little time talking about an event that Sara Gould, CEO and President of the Ms. Foundation says,

"As adults we often face the challenge of balancing work, family, community, and personal responsibilities. We often have to make decisions about working late, leaving work early to pick up a sick child from school or attend a school play, or providing the best care for a sick parent or relative. Sometimes these decisions are easy, and sometimes they may be difficult or complicated. The Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work® program encourages our nation’s daughters and sons to think about these issues. Through activities designed specifically for the program we can begin a constructive, solution-oriented conversation with our children about the challenges of daily life."

It's a conversation that for the time-being no one seems interested in having. And that says more about where we are as a society than a hundred blog posts.

<em>Image Credit: Flickr Image, Irena's God Daughter byRandyGOP