An experiment: Exchanging Technorati favorites

I'm trying something new so unless you are devoted to blogging, this particular blog will not help you increase your sales and profits in Mexico. Check back for future blogs.

In an effort to increase visibility of this blog, I am exchanging Technorati favorites. To do this, I am setting up an exchange with DoshDosh.

Those who visit this blog over the course of this exchange will have their blogs faved by me.

Thank you to all who are participating. Thank you to my readers. I will probably have future blogs delving more into this experiment and its outcome and how it may benefit your company.

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru

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The Wrong Way to Use a Web Site

Companies need to review the reason they have a web site. Some companies use a web site to brand their product. Others use their site to act as an online brochure of services and benefits. What you do not want to do is simply have a web site with no purpose or one that is simply a one page flyer.

I was looking online for information on products from Dolly Madison. A friend in Mexico had asked about Zingers, a sugary sweet product that has no nutritional value whatsoever but tastes great. Dolly Madison has been around for decades so I would guess they have several products.

So what does Dolly Madison do with their site? Do they list their products with pictures? No. Is there any way for the customer to learn more about the products? No. Is there anything about the site that looks interesting? No.

For Dolly Madison products, it's just one page with shots of two products and a drop down box so you can check out the other affiliates companies. And a contact button. Nothing else. My friend from Mexico commented, "They don't care." That's not the sentiment companies want to foster with potential customers.

I'm certain those of you reading this have put much more energy and thought into your web site than Dolly Madison. If not, now is a good time to look at your site and see if it's being utilized to bring your company maximum benefits and help your business grow.

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru

Want to receive information on doing business in Mexico directly to your In box? Subscribe now at Marketing To Mexico.

Technorati - blogging profile

If you are blogging, you should look into registering your blog with Technorati. This is the leading advice from Robert Scoble, author of Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk With Customers.

To your success.

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru



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Marketing - Get the Whole Story

I was reading an article by Dean Calbreath, U.S. to impose some tariffs on Chinese goods.1 The article mentioned figures provided by the local California office of the Department of Commerce (D.O.C.) saying exports from California to China had increased 14% to US$14.6 billion in the last year.

One paragraph really stood out for me where Dean mused over how much imports to California had increased. He commented that state-by-state figures were not included by the D.O.C.

His query touched on an important concern for international companies, the possible bias of the market information they receive. Businesses may rely heavily on government data to determine where to invest their marketing dollars, euro, pound or yen.

Dean's article gives a brief and interesting look at exporting abroad and the subsequent returning imports. I would recommend the article (except it's not online). But more importantly, I would recommend businesses question the market research they receive from their government.

Ask if there may be an agenda or bias to the information that may not serve your company's best interests. Look for contrasting information, and you will have a more complete picture of a country's market for your products and services. Then it won't matter if exports are increasing or decreasing because you'll be working from the powerful position of knowledge.

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru

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1. Dean Calbreath, U.S. to impose some tariffs on Chinese goods, San Diego Union Tribune, April 1, 2007.

Don Imus : His Costly Communication Mistake

Some in the U.S. may be tired of hearing about Don Imus, a popular radio talk show host who lost his job last week. However, his situation makes for a sobering object lesson.

It’s sometimes a challenge to demonstrate in monetary terms the negative costs of poor communication and ignorance of a business culture. The Imus event provides a rare glimpse at the financial impact resulting from communication mistakes:1

• Don Imus was so adept at marketing books on his show that the U.S. book publishing industry estimates the loss of his show will impact their industry in the hundreds of millions (US$100,000,000.00) if not billions of dollars.

• CBS received ad revenues of $20 million a year from the Imus show not to mention several millions in syndication fees from affiliated stations.

• MSNBC got hours of cheap programming daily with a huge audience.

• NBC News personalities and others including U.S. Presidential candidates were regular guests on the show where they presented their books to a national audience.

• Preferred politicians received hours of free airtime worth millions of dollars.

• This event will impact Don Imus’ other ventures; his cookbook, his company, Imus Ranch Foods, and a line of environmentally friendly household-cleaning products.

Five seconds and one irresponsible phrase will cost CBS, MSNBC, NBC News staff, book writers, politicians, the publishing industry and Don Imus himself at least US$250 million dollars. His may have been the most expensive five seconds in the history of radio.

This situation demonstrates how poor and improper communication can have devastating financial repercussions. Companies should consider how the lack of expertise about Mexico’s business culture and communication may be adversely affecting their sales and profits.

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru

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1. Special acknowledgement to Terry Keenan and his article End of Imus Inc. Will Be a Shock to Publishing.

Don Imus - a Study in Bad Communication

In his article, Don Imus isn't the only one who ought to be ashamed, columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. wrote how Don Imus, a prominent national radio shock-jock, lost his lucrative simulcast with MSNBC and then later his show with CBS because of his "racist and sexist insults against the Rutgers University women's basketball team."1

Leonard went on to write that part of the offending expression by Imus was his use of the word “ho” meaning whore. This word has been popularized for many years by leading rappers such as Snoop Doog who is referenced in the article. Imus may have felt that after all the years of rappers using the word “ho”, this implied it was acceptable for him to use this term during a national radio broadcast. Obviously Imus was wrong.

There are many in the media asking what people will or should take away from this incident. One lesson international business people should definitely take away from this event is the warning to be vigilant about the words they use when communicating with people in another country.

People do not have to use profanity to insult someone from a different culture or country. Speaking informally to Mexican associates without first having developed the proper relations can demonstrate at the least ignorance about the Mexican business culture or worse be viewed as an insult. There may be terms that Mexicans use when speaking with each other. This in no way implies that an outsider can or ever should use the same words without offending someone.

One of the goals for businesses is to communicate their message clearly to the customer. One should always err on the side of caution and formality rather than risk insult and embarrassment. It only takes one misspoken word to cause enormous financial loss. Just ask Don Imus even though it is likely he will be back on the air waves in one form or another. For those of us doing business internationally, however, such a mistake could destroy years of hard work and investment.

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru

Want to receive information on doing business in Mexico directly to your In box? Subscribe now at Marketing To Mexico.


1. Special acknowledgement to Leonard Pitts Jr., columnist for The Miami Herald. His article was a source of inspiration.