Sound good? It is.

Some of the best-known, most successful brands in the world use social brand intelligence. One of the leading providers, Passenger Social Brand Intelligence, makes it easy for them, providing a host of sophisticated services that entice everyday consumers into an interactive relationship with their favorite brands.

For example, Mountain Dew, interacting with customers and listening to their comments, developed three new flavors that were immediately successful because customers had asked for them. And because Mountain Dew had listened.

The key to successful, timely brand intelligence is new technology by Passenger Social Brand Intelligence that creates online communities with multiple access points. An online community manager then interacts with community members in whatever form the customers choose to participate. All the data are gathered into a single database for analysis, feedback and meaningful insights.

In many ways, customers know more about your brand than you do. They know what they like—and what they dislike. They have ideas for improvements that so-called experts might never think of. This is sophisticated, up-t0-the-minute online market research that was impossible just a few years ago.

Customers know exactly what they want, even if what they want changes day by day. Wouldn’t you like to know, too?

Old-fashioned focus groups, survey tools and sampling were good, but modern online social branding tools are so much better—and the results come in fast and react quickly to other developments—so you can, too.

Praise for Winning At Retail”Winning at Retail offers the most effective strategies available for retailers. At McDonald’s, the ‘Quick-EST’ model is crucial, because being close and convenient to where our customers live, work, and shop helps us create maximum value. If you want to harness your company’s strengths to become a leader in your category-and stay in tune with what your customers want-this is the book for you.”-Jim Rand, Senior Vice President of Business Development, McDonald’s Corporation”Winning at Retail provides a thoughtful approach to retail differentiation. Ander and Stern warn of the ‘treacherous middle’ into which retailers too easily drift. They inspire us to avoid this peril through case studies of retailers who have

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Retailers today are drowning in data but lacking in insight: They have huge volumes of information at their disposal. But they’re unsure of how to sort through it and use it to make smart decisions. The result? They’re struggling with profit-sapping supply chain problems including stock-outs, overstock, and discounting.It doesn’t have to be that way. In The New Science of Retailing, supply chain experts Marshall Fisher and Ananth Raman explain how to use analytics to better manage your inventory for faster turns, fewer discounted offerings, and fatter profit margins.Featuring case studies of retailing exemplars from around the world, this practical new book shows you how to:· Mine your sales data to identify “homerun” products

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The retail world is undergoing a fundamental transformation.  Rapidly evolving technology, globalization, and a saturated marketplace offer consumers instant access to thousands of equally compelling products and services, creating unprecedented levels of expectation.  The impact of these changes is so profound that 50 percent of today’s retailers and consumer companies will not survive it.  Traditional business models will become extinct, and the relationship between vendors and consumers will shift dramatically. Here, industry experts Robin Lewis and Michael Dart identify the forces behind these changes and look at the retail heroes of today and tomorrow to see how their business models are responding to the modern marketplace. 

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It’s one of the toughest economies in years, but don’t fear-the doctor is in Are you among the thousands of retailers frustrated by market challenges and looking for ways to take control of your business? Are you looking for the advice of an expert consultant, but unable to spend the money? Then The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business is for you.By providing a step-by-step approach to evaluate your current business practices, The Retail Doctor offers professional guidanceRedesign your organizational structureReap the maximum returns on your investment Keep your business financially healthyFollowing the advice in these pages will help you devise a sound strategy to accomplish your goals and outperform your competitors. You’ll

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So where do you go for the fixtures and supplies you need to open your new retail shop? I thought you would never ask! I just happen to know the right answer.

Retail Resources caters to small retailers with a huge selection of such items as mannequins and display fixtures, good prices and no small order fees. They offer 100 percent money-back guarantee, too. Their understanding of the needs of small stores has made them the number one stop for fitting out new shops and for updating the fixtures of existing shops.

Not being charged a fee for small orders means that shop owners can afford to order more store supplies whenever they are needed, without having to wait to accumulate a big enough order to avoid a fee.

So where do you go for your retail store fixtures? Retail Resources. They understand the needs of small retailers, and they make it easy and economical to get exactly what you need, when you need it, to keep your shop up to date, well supplied and running smoothly.

Every successful company eventually reaches a point where it needs either more experienced management or an infusion of capital—or both—to continue to grow. Entrepreneurs can usually take a company only so far before professional corporate executives are needed. And reinvesting profits will only take even the most successful company so far.

At some point most companies need to find business partners if they are to survive and continue to grow. The question is: Where do you find them? Or more important: Where do you find the really good ones?

We all know there are investors out there looking for good businesses to put money into. But how do they find us? And how do we know which investors can provide good advice as well as money?

For investors, how do you find those potential gems with great ideas and talented management that will give you a great ROI and an investment you can be proud of? With so many investment possibilities to choose from, how do you know which are the best?

Most difficult of all is for successful entrepreneurs to find business partners whose management acumen they can rely on to grow their business to the next level and do whatever restructuring is necessary to transition from a smart startup to a stable, growing corporate success story.

How do you recognize the talent you need? And how do you interest the best in your business and entice them on board?

The answer to all those questions may be an organization called Business Partners, which is dedicated to bringing together the right businesses, corporate managers, and investors to create a synergy that is satisfying for everyone involved. Billing itself as “The World’s Largest Community of Partnership Opportunities” their website offers free registration and connections to over 132,000 potential business partners.

Members (who pay a membership fee) can search the group’s proprietary database, using their special tools to find potential business partners among the members who meet their search criteria. Even nonmembers can access a library of resources and related articles.

If you want to successfully take your business to the next level in the most painless way possible, you really should take a look.

It seems that more new chemicals, and more uses for existing chemicals, are discovered every day. New companies start up constantly, growing and merging and leaving room for still more new chemical speciality companies to compete in a diverse and dynamic world market.

Although many banks are willing to lend money for such potentially lucrative projects, money is not all a new chemical company needs or wants from a lender relationship. Chemical-related ventures, especially new ones, need the specialized knowledge of chemical investment banking, bankers who specialize in chemical projects.

In this complex technical field there is simply no substitute for specialized professional experience, particularly in chemical mergers and acquisitions, which require specialized knowledge that general business bankers simply do not have. In the specialized field of chemical m&a, technical knowledge and financial accumen are the best way to select an m&a consulting firm like Valence Group.

With millions or billions of dollars at stake, only the most skilled and knowledgeable financial and technical advisors will do. Here is where specialized knowledge and experience truly make the difference between brilliant success and flamboyant failure.

Infographics are all the rage right now, for good reason. They convey a whole lot of information painlessly, making info easy to understand and fun to read. I think this is a great one.

Note: Depending on your computer and browser, you may need to click on the graphic to view it at full size.

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How small, one-of-a-kind businesses can break through among giantsMegachains like Walmart, Starbucks, Home Depot, and The Gap attract Americans to thousands of outlets by offering a large selection of goods and services. But this doesn’t mean that independent stores can’t compete with the big guys-and win. Retail expert George Whalin identifies and explores twenty-five highly popular and profitable independent stores from around the country. Unlike the mom-and-pops of yesteryear, these businesses embrace technology and innovation, generate word of mouth, and turn their size into an advantage. They include: • ABC Carpet and Home in New York City • Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon • The Junkman’s Daughter in Atlanta •

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