May 31st, 2010 by admin

The Times reported in its Thursday edition that some shareholders having a stake of approximately 15 percent of British insurer Prudential Plc’s shares are planning to oppose the company’s $35.5 billion takeover of AIG’s Asian arm.

The paper disclosed that it is believed that some of the biggest institutional owners of Prudential will be among those opposing the takeover and writing a letter to Prudential’s chairman Harvey McGrath within the next 48 hours.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

Shareholders have voiced concerns over the high cost of the takeover of American International Assurance, which will be financed through a record $21 billion rights issue.

Robin Geffen, the co-founder of Neptune Investment Management, which owns about 50 million pounds in Pru shares, is separately trying to marshal opposition to the AIA plan. He said yesterday that institutional shareholders accounting for more than 15 per cent had privately indicated to him that they were preparing to vote “no”, the Times said.

Geffen said he was canvassing investors to vote against the bid, according to the Times.

“The most important thing is to marshal the votes. That’s what I’m focused on,” he told the paper.

Shareholders are due to vote on June 7. Prudential needs 75 percent of voting stock to be cast in favour for the deal to go through.

It is believed that many investors will be urging McGrath for renegotiating the price.

Tags: institutional shareholders, Prudential, takeover

May 29th, 2010 by admin

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) proposed The “Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act,” which would be preventing companies from enrolling consumers in paid-subscription programs unless the consumers gave their acceptance by entering their credit card details.

This proposal is expected to prevent web companied from duping consumers into signing up for paid subscription deals they originally do not want.

From Mediapost.com:

Webloyalty, Affinion and Vertrue target consumers immediately after they have made purchases on online retail sites like Fandango by sending pop-up ads that offer discounts. In the past, people who clicked on the pop-ups landed on a site where they could enroll in coupon programs simply by providing their email address and clicking a ‘yes’ button.

The ecommerce sites then shared financial information with the post-transaction companies, which would charge consumers monthly fees ranging up to $20. Many Web users said they did not realize the companies were going to charge their credit cards.

When these consumers complained, the companies attempted to refund as little money as possible through “refund mitigation” programs, according to a Commerce Committee report issued on Wednesday. For instance, the post-transaction would agree to cancel users’ accounts, but would balk at refunding fees already paid, according to the report.

Webloyalty remarked that its present policies will be meeting virtually all requirements of the proposed legislation.

Tags: ecommerce, ecommerce sites, online retail, subscription programs

May 28th, 2010 by admin

If you want to make big money in the world of business and marketing, this YouTube video can help you in more than just a way. Eben Pagan, Founder of The Altitude Training Program, reveals success secrets that helped him grow his own company. This free video is highly recommended for potential business owners, especially those trying their hands on self business.

Tags: business and marketing, marketing, self business, YouTube video

May 27th, 2010 by admin

Believe it or not, YouTube is one of the most navigated websites in today’s world and you cannot ignore its appeal and usefulness especially if you are running a business or engaged in sales and marketing. This YouTube video will surely help you get more value from efforts and resources when it comes to promoting the prospects of your online business.

Tags: online business, sales and marketing, YouTube, YouTube video

May 26th, 2010 by admin

With social media becoming an integral part of our everyday lives today, it is high time to know inside-out about it. If you want to know more about social media, you have just gone lucky.

A bootcamp on How to leverage Social Media Marketing for Increasing Revenue and Brand Building is being presented on May 28-29 in Delhi by Digital Vidya.

From i-newswire.com:

Digital Vidya brings its upcoming ‘Social Media Marketing bootcamp’ on May 28-29, 2010 in Delhi to help businesses leverage Social Media Marketing to meet their business objectives.

It will be a two-day workshop specifically for those including Entrepreneurs, CXO’s of Small & Medium Businesses, Sales and Marketing People, Advertising and Media Professionals, who wish to leverage Social Media Marketing to generate online leads, improve leads qualification & conversions. The bootcamps will be a hands-on event to be conducted by Digital Vidya founders Kapil Nakra and Pradeep Chopra, digital marketing thought leaders who have been imparting their combined knowledge of 20 years through Social Media.

Over the last 3 months, Digital Vidya conducted 10 Digital Marketing bootcamps across India. There was a participation of over 250 Entrepreneurs, CXOs, Digital Marketing Professionals and Sales & Marketing Professionals from companies such as Naukri, eBay, MakeMyTrip, Intuit, Quasar, Ericsson, NDTV, and IndiaMart. “Through this bootcamp, I have learned a lot about social media and its power to bring even the big brands like Dominos to its feet and at the same time can make a new company like Digital Vidya to prosper,” said Madhura Rajagopalan, Senior Executive, Corporate communications, Taxmann Publications.

The key highlights of the bootcamp will include a practical workshop on Social Media Marketing to understand: ’How other businesses are succeeding (and few failing) in Social Media Marketing?’, ‘How to develop and execute Social Media Marketing strategy for your business?’, ‘How can you measure and ongoing keep a track on the success of Social Media marketing campaigns?’, ‘ Why, What and How of leveraging various Social Media Marketing channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, Twitter, YouTube etc)’, ‘Social Media Marketing Toolbox to move rapidly and profitably against competition.’

This event is supported by Afaqs, NEN, SEMPO, and Alootechie.

Tags: brand building, generate online leads, marketing, marketing strategy, Social Media, social media marketing

May 25th, 2010 by admin

Greg Jarboe, author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day suggests that the presence of a powerful tool such as YouTube cannot be ignored by businesses striving for lead generation profits. This video is a must-see for every sales & marketing executive and business owner.

Tags: marketing, sales, Video Marketing, YouTube, YouTube and Video Marketing

May 24th, 2010 by admin

If you are running a business and about to introduce a successful marketing campaign, an integrated approach is the best option for you.

Experts are of the view that an integrated cross-channel marketing strategy based on a solid foundation and requiring exceptional analytic processes and data management is the best bet in today’s times.

From qas.co.uk:

Writing for Direct Marketing News, Bo Chipman, Senior Director of Account Management at Merkle, noted that delivering a positive marketing experience to customers requires a “systematic, integrated, cross-channel” campaign.

He noted that properly integrated marketing tends to be more successful than traditional methods.

“Consider these points. First, consumers who receive both email and direct mail pieces generally contribute more per household. Second, the use of the same agency and resources across multiple channels may reduce overheads and increase the bottom line,” Mr Chipman commented.

He added that an integrated cross-channel strategy requires a solid foundation that involves good data management and analytic processes.

In order to engage consumers, creativity is the key to success and must be always emphasized upon.

Tags: data management, Direct Marketing, marketing, marketing campaign, marketing strategy, successful marketing

May 21st, 2010 by admin

Gaurav Mishra, CEO of 2020 Social, recently expressed his views on how Indian nonprofits can make the best use of social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to promote their causes.

Since sites such as Twitter and Facebook are free platforms for generating mass interests at almost negligible costs, nonprofits can benefit in more than just a way by opting for them.

From Livemint.com:

On Tuesday, participants at a workshop on social media for nonprofits, organized by the Nasscom Foundation and held by Gaurav Mishra, CEO of Mumbai based social media research and strategy company 2020 Social, voiced some of their doubts.

“What if I run a contest on my website and nobody participates?” asked one lady who works for an international nonprofit that uses media and communications to achieve development goals. “How do I know if our fans on Facebook are actually engaged, or whether they’re just there for the heck of it?” asked another participant who works for an international artist’s association.

In an interview with Mint, Gaurav Mishra puts things in perspective, bluntly pointing out that social media is no panacea for a struggling nonprofit’s communications problems. He underscores that the very first step for a nonprofit is to identify the cause it is working towards, and consequently who its evangelists are. Social media can then be used to organize and energize this base of people.

“Nonprofits must start outside in and not inside out,” he says. “Always start by thinking about who are the people whose lives you’re trying to change, what is the big cause you’ve committed yourself to. Start from there and then come down to the specifics.”

Mishra pointed to Pratham Books as an instance of an Indian nonprofit that has been exemplary in using social media by sharing content and engaging communities via tools such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Tags: cricket, Facebook, Paul Collingwood, Social Media, social media research, social media tools, T20, Twenty20, Twitter, YouTube

May 20th, 2010 by admin

When it comes to accessing quotes for nourishing business profile, you can always trust Buy Expo. This is the reason why we have compiled some of the most inspiring quotations available on the web so that you can just relax and enjoy these wonderful set of words.

Well I am certainly wiser than this man. It is only too likely that neither of us has any knowledge to boast of; but he thinks that he knows something which he does not know, whereas I am quite conscious of my ignorance. At any rate it seems that I am wiser than he is to this small extent, that I do not think that I know what I do not know. – Socrates

Nine times out of ten it is over the Bridge of Sighs that we pass the narrow gulf from youth to manhood. That interval is usually marked by an ill placed or disappointed affection. We recover and we find ourselves a new being. The intellect has become hardened by the fire through which it has passed. The mind profits by the wrecks of every passion, and we may measure our road to wisdom by the sorrows we have undergone. - Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know — and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use it to destroy ourselves? Even if that is so, knowledge remains better than ignorance. It is better to know — even if the knowledge endures only for the moment that comes before destruction — than to gain eternal life at the price of a dull and swinish lack of comprehension of a universe that swirls unseen before us in all its wonder. That was the choice of Achilles, and it is mine, too. – Isaac Asimov

Tags: business profile, inspiring quotations, quotations, Quotes, quotes for nourishing business profile

May 19th, 2010 by admin

This YouTube video highlights the fact that network marketing tools with prospects are more than attraction marketing and personal development. If you are a new entrant to the world of marketing, this free video is highly recommended for you.

Tags: free video, marketing, marketing tools, network marketing, network marketing tools, YouTube video