Sunday, May 02, 1999
SMALL BUSINESS DIARY
Seminar series focuses on lobbying
The Union Institute plans a monthlong series of Saturday seminars exploring local, state and national trends in political lobbying.
J. Stephen Dobbins, who joined the institute as a community relations officer in 1998, will give a business perspective to lobbying Saturday.
The session will explore how lobbying is used by businesses to improve competitiveness and effectiveness. “Lobbying and Social Agendas” will be presented May 15, and “Lobbying and the Media” will be offered May 22.
The seminar series is free. All sessions begin at 10 a.m.
The institute is a national university offering tutorial-based undergraduate and doctoral programs, and seminars will be conducted at 440 E. McMillan St.
From 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday,the institute presents George Gordon, vice president of Right Management Consultants, and Andy McCreanor, senior vice president of National Bank & Trust, in a seminar on product development.
Customer differences
key, expert says
Businesses need to segment customers and address their specific needs, says James Champy, co-author of Reengineering the Corporation and chairman of consulting for Perot Systems Corp.
“First, understand how your customers differ,” he told Forbes Global Business and Finance magazine.
“What are their met and unmet needs? Some big customers may want close relationships. ... Others may just want transactions based solely on price.
“Consider not only the prod ucts that will meet their needs but the kind of experience you want to create for each type of customer. ...
“Think about the behavior that will be required of your people to create those customer experiences and the best way of "organizing' to support that behavior.”
Franchise might
cost less than you think
The International Franchise Association Education Foundation reports in a statistical abstract gleaned from a 1997 study of 1,178 companies that investment for eight of 10 franchises is less than $250,000.
Companies that charge initial franchise fees of $50,000 or less make up the vast majority of systems — about 95 percent. Compared with last year's average cost, franchise fees have risen $671.
Business bookshelf
Business Golf: The Art of Building Relationships Through Golf by Pat Summerall with Will D. Rhame and James A. McNulty (Birch Lane Press; $21.95):
“Golf costs need to be justified, especially if the company is picking up the tab. Companies that use golf as a relationship tool and who are willing to pay the price should expect accountability.”
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SMALL BUSINESS DIARY
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