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<title>Jan Kelley Marketing Blog - Michael Halbmeier</title>
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<description><![CDATA[Jan Kelley Marketing Blog - Description]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 19 May 2012 18:25:27 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Conflict resolution and trust management in the FranchiseDealer channel</title>
<link>http://www.jankelley.comblog.php?blogId=145</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 07 May 2011 22:48:40 -0400</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone knows relationships are complicated, especially those that involve multiple stakeholders all with vested interest and sometimes varying agendas.&nbsp; Each may wish to push their own agenda, but can&rsquo;t push too hard because of the nature of the channel interdependencies.&nbsp; It may also come as no surprise that at times trust and lack thereof rears its ugly head.&nbsp; Often times this mistrust is the result of poor conflict resolution.&nbsp; Poor, whether by lack of clarity of the issue at hand, timeliness in resolution, or even complete dismissal or refusal to believe there is an issue that requires intervention for resolution.
The following is an aggregate summary of the key insights gleaned from the 2009 Griffith University Study:&nbsp; Towards Conflict Resolution.&nbsp; Griffith University is home to the Asia-Pacific Centre for Franchising Excellence.&nbsp; This study focused on the following key areas:

Level of preparation by franchisees prior to entering the franchise agreement
Franchisee opinions about franchising relationship
Franchisee opinion on franchisor support level and the franchising relationship
Franchisees' experience with conflict and conflict management

Let&rsquo;s take a look at each more closely as we begin to unravel the invaluable wealth hidden within the channel &ndash; a treasure for those willing to take the time to listen, understand, and act decisively and with resolve!
1) Level of preparation by franchisees prior to entering the franchise agreement:

Over       50% felt they proactively sought out information about the franchise       before making a commitment &nbsp;&nbsp;
In       hindsight only 1/3 felt they had conducted sufficient due diligence prior to       purchase
Over       50% relied heavily on their gut feeling in order to make a decision
A       majority of franchisees felt that the information provided to them by       their franchisor was satisfactory

KEY POINT:&nbsp; Many prospective franchisees do not conduct sufficient due&nbsp;diligence&nbsp;and do not rely heavily on facts to make their purchase decision. &nbsp;While this is the prospective franchisee's responsibility, it is in the best interest of the prospective franchisor to do business with an informed, well prepared buyer.
It is very possible that the ignition for initial conflict could be a direct result of the lack of understanding on the part of the individual/organization entering the franchise agreement.&nbsp; The conflict could pertain to processes, legalities, royalties, training, product and pricing, marketing, sales, or number of other factors.&nbsp; The franchisor has both an obligation and an opportunity here.&nbsp; The obligation is to ensure the issue at hand, whatever it may be is resolved in a positive and timely manner.&nbsp; More importantly here is the opportunity for the franchisor to be seen by the franchisee as both a mentor and authoritative figure.&nbsp; Mentorship comes in the form of explaining to the franchisee the opportunity costs of non-compliance to franchise regulations or the overall impact they play in brand stewardship.&nbsp; The franchisor must also tread firmly with resolve but in a manner that shows it really is for the good of the franchise and the franchisee.&nbsp; The franchisee must see head office as an ally and someone who should be respected and emulated not feared or resented.
&nbsp;
2) Franchisee opinions about franchising relationship:

Majority      of franchisees reported their preconceptions about franchising were      different to reality
1/3      stated their expectations were not met
42%      of franchisee experiences were what they expected
Majority      of franchisees trusted their franchisor but over      25% were mistrustful of their franchisor
Similar      trust/mistrust was found when it came to franchisor-franchisee      communication
Mixed      feedback on conflict resolution - 50% felt that conflict was dealt with      fairly and openly, while the other 50% felt the opposite
KEY      POINT:&nbsp; Majority of franchisees      felt that the franchise agreement enabled them to operate their business      without undue interference by the franchisor

&ldquo;Undue&rdquo; is the key word there; however a franchisor must "interfere"/intervene from time to time.&nbsp; When a franchise strays from the brand, whether by design or without knowing, the franchisor needs to be present. A franchisor must come knocking when messaging, products/services or brand expression of any kind other than franchise compliance is in circulation.&nbsp; Franchises can only survive as a result of consistency.&nbsp; Consistent customer experience, consistent quality in the products and services, time of delivery and how these products are received in the end are all by design.&nbsp; It is because of these outwardly simple (yet sometimes difficult to enforce), franchise compliance requirements that your Tim Horton&rsquo;s coffee tastes the same no matter where you travel in this great country of ours.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s the same compliance that helps you navigate major retail outlets because they all follow the same planogram.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s why franchising works &ndash; a formula for success has been established, and with it a reputation that over time becomes the essence of the brand.&nbsp; This very vital life source to the franchise must be protected and revered at all costs.
&nbsp;
3) Franchisee opinion on franchisor support level and the franchising relationship:

75%      rated franchisor support positively
Similar      response given to relationship satisfaction, 25% feeling disaffected
Dispute      resolution was split 50%/50%
KEY      POINT:&nbsp; Although franchisor support      was perceived as positive dispute resolution dropped the approval rating      and has significant impact on long-term support perception

Quite simple really &ndash; listen, understand and help the franchisee with franchise compliance.&nbsp; Now that is much easier said than done.&nbsp; The execution of this simple statement can be nearly impossible at times.&nbsp; All attempts to understand the franchisee should be made, and if there is any deviation to compliance a review should be conducted as to why.&nbsp; As franchisees are often the ear to the ground, it may behove the franchisor to listen closely to feedback, as it may actually provide the seed of genesis for franchise improvement.&nbsp; If however the deviation is the result of naivet&eacute; or direct disagreement without just cause action must be taken by the franchisor to course-correct the franchisee in question.&nbsp; If this escalates to dispute, and if after many attempts to resolve the dispute, mediation is no longer a viable option, legal action may be the last course to resolution. &nbsp;This is costly for both parties and should be avoided if at all possible.&nbsp; Franchise agreement nullification is a time consuming, tiring and costly process and may not always end well.&nbsp; Even if the franchisor is awarded ownership of the given franchise location in question, other franchisees may view the franchisor as a bully who will simply take legal action and could significantly alter the livelihood of all those involved.&nbsp; Not a position that makes for a healthy channel relationship, but at times a necessary one.
&nbsp;
4) Franchisees' experience with conflict and conflict management:

Slightly      more disagreements requiring resolution were reported by franchisees in      year 2 and year 3 over the first year of operation, but the association      between length of time in the franchise and reported level of conflict was      insignificant
Most      common means of resolving conflict were via franchisor staff, by      negotiation and through contact with other franchisees
Major      causes of conflict reported were:&nbsp;
Lack      of support from franchisor
Compliance      with the system
Issues      relating to franchise fees
Communication      problems
Misrepresentation      issues
Marketing      issues
Profitability
Analysis      of their explanations for the causes of conflict revealed that most were      unhappy with the level of perceived support offered by franchisors
1/3      indicated that conflict had been satisfactorily resolved
50%      indicated their franchisor had a formal process for dealing with conflict      but only 25% had been provided any formal training on dealing with      conflict
KEY      POINT:&nbsp; Franchisors need to focus      on conflict management training for staff and franchisees, as well as      designing systems for efficiently managing conflict

The best thing a franchisor or franchisee can do is be prepared.&nbsp; For the franchisor the preparation is even greater, as you must consider the enterprise, as well as the individual franchisees, their employees, and finally the customer.&nbsp; Well developed, and well communicated and understood processes and policies need to be in place so that the franchisee can understand who to speak to about an issue, and how they should go about conducting the conflict discussion.&nbsp; For the franchisor it is imperative to have these be in place so that legal action is mitigated so that internal policies can govern the franchise and all that reside within it.&nbsp; The third aspect that needs to be considered is customer conflict resolution.&nbsp; Franchisees need proper training so that conflict can be resolved uniformly across the entire franchise network &ndash; it&rsquo;s all part of the softer side of the customer-perceived brand experience.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s my take on basic conflict resolution within a simplified view of a franchise/dealer channel.&nbsp; &nbsp;So what then does conflict resolution have to do with trust management?&nbsp; Well that&rsquo;s the evolutionary leap within the human psyche played out in business.&nbsp; If there is a poorly managed or unresolved conflict there can be no trust.&nbsp; If there is positively-viewed conflict resolution then you have the beginning of trust, as the parties involved experienced something together.&nbsp; These are the deciding moments in time when trust and differing agendas meet face-to-face.&nbsp; The outcome is decided through a delicate dance of negotiation, posturing and the willingness to work things out for the good of the franchise, for the good of the brand, for the good of the customer.&nbsp; If the process is repeated, and the outcome between the parties continues to provide symbiotic interdependencies then a strong cohesive force emerges.&nbsp; The close relationship then has the opportunity to create a high-trust environment that can overcome many hardships. &nbsp;Perhaps even more importantly it will encourage two-way forgiveness in those weak moments of poor decisions, or indecisiveness to act &ndash; even if that action at times causes heartache.
Distrust resident within the channel can be disastrous as it can breed more distrust with additional stakeholders within the overall value delivery chain. &nbsp;The dilution of trust can often be found as the by-product of inconsistent behaviour by those that have influence over others. &nbsp;More importantly, and difficult to measure is the absolute power brought on by a group forged by trust. &nbsp;The energy and entrepreneurial spirit that can lead to product innovation, service innovation, customer target, and sales/marketing innovation can be embraced by all channel partners. &nbsp;New and valuable insights will be brought to light through open council, feedback and the desire to be the best in the field you are operating in.&nbsp; It will foster a spirit of growth that can only be harboured in a sea of trust.
So, if you are in a position to listen &ndash; seize the opportunity!&nbsp; If you are in the position to make a lasting impression on a franchisor or franchisee do so.&nbsp; If you find yourself at the centre of a dispute, resolve it justly and swiftly.&nbsp; Do these things, and you&rsquo;re on your way to effectively managing the trust within your franchise and business channel.&nbsp; Do none, or even some of these ineffectively and you run the risk of disenfranchisement running rampant within your channel.&nbsp; The choice is yours.&nbsp; I know what I would choose.]]></description>
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<author>mhalbmeier@jankelley.com (MichaelHalbmeier)</author>
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<item>
<title>Tablets  Gain a Marketing and Sales Advantage</title>
<link>http://www.jankelley.comblog.php?blogId=144</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2011 23:47:35 -0400</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Well it&rsquo;s on!&nbsp; It&rsquo;s actually been on for a while and if you&rsquo;re not into tabs you will be soon.
So what tablet is right for you?&nbsp; Well it really depends on what you&rsquo;ll be using it for.&nbsp; Are you in the market for an Android tablet?&nbsp; Windows tablet? iPad tablet (IOS)? webOS tablet? Blackberry OS tablet? eReader tablet? &hellip;not sure?
Perhaps a better question to ask is what will a tablet do that a laptop or SmartPhone can&rsquo;t do? You may be hard-pressed to find a good answer at first.&nbsp; After all a laptop, from a raw computing power standpoint clearly wins.&nbsp; And when looking at SmartPhones they are much smaller and portable than a tablet, and rival in power while on the go.&nbsp; So why purchase a tablet?&nbsp; Why shell out $500+ for yet another device?
Well I would like to offer a sales and marketing perspective and opinion.&nbsp; Tablets are great!
&nbsp;
The Marketing Perspective&hellip;
For visual impact larger screens will always score better.&nbsp; Whether you&rsquo;re in the boardroom or Trade Fair floor, the larger the screen the better, you can never get enough real-estate space when in demo mode. &nbsp;&nbsp;While we&rsquo;re on the subject what will you be showcasing?&nbsp; Products?&nbsp; Services?&nbsp; Applications?&nbsp; Make sure you pick the device that helps you sell to the best of your ability.&nbsp; If colour is crucial, iPad should weigh in heavily into your decision set.&nbsp;&nbsp; Visually stunning stills and vividly animated presentations display great on the iPad.&nbsp; The expensive technology that was the pre-runner to the iPhone4 screen technology is employed in the iPad1 and iPad2.&nbsp; It remains to be seen whether the iPad3 will be home to this amazing, but expensive technology.&nbsp; Colours display more accurately and you won&rsquo;t have to worry about display angle issues which creep into less-advanced LCD technology. &nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Sales Perspective&hellip;
Are you more of a road warrior with an established routine working out of your car?&nbsp; Or are you an urban warrior using public transit to get around for long jaunts, and then finishing the route on foot.&nbsp; Perhaps a smaller 7-inch tablet is up your alley.&nbsp; When it comes to sales you can get away with a smaller screen because you&rsquo;ll tend to be speaking to your customer or prospect face-to-face.&nbsp; A 7-inch tablet may be all that you need.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Sales people will surely appreciate the microSD feature &ndash; a quick way to upload content while on the road and potentially removed from a Wi-Fi hot spot.&nbsp; This feature is not available on the iPad but is on Android, Windows, and the BlackBerry PlayBook device.&nbsp; BlueTooth file transfer is another easy way of course that helps you work between devices.&nbsp; Finally, when it comes to data transfer the Motorola Xoom may find many friends for the simple reason it has a USB 2.0 media slot.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ll be hard pressed to find a USB connection on many tablet devices.
Do you need Flash capabilities?&nbsp; If so stay clear of the iPad1 and iPad2 &ndash; no Flash playback to be found there.&nbsp; In this case go with an Android based device or the BlackBerry Playbook.
Here&rsquo;s a handy little chart that takes a look at some of the key tablet players and the key attributes in a direct comparison.
Prepared by Ralph Winterle/StrategyOne Digital

How&rsquo;s your charge?&nbsp; It may seem like a simple thing or non-consideration but take a look at how quickly battery life is depleted.&nbsp; Especially if you&rsquo;re on the road and are dependent on your device you don&rsquo;t want to be left scrambling for juice when it&rsquo;s pitch time.&nbsp; iPad1 and iPad2 lead the charge here easily beating out competitors like the BlackBerry PlayBook.
&nbsp;
Are you looking to use your tablet primarily for documentation?&nbsp; A point of view based on usage, here again is Ralph Winterle/StrategyOne Digital.&nbsp;
&ldquo;As a documentation device, the issue is readability. The iPad has 168 more pixels on the short side, but it makes the difference for reading eBooks published to the 7 x 9 inch standard. You can usually get by reading from the full page in portrait mode. A lot of airlines have selected the iPad for replacing printed manuals on the flight deck.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&hellip;so it&rsquo;s decision making time right?&nbsp; How do you go about making the right purchase?&nbsp; So many factors come in to play.&nbsp; As mentioned take a close look at what you&rsquo;ll actually be using it for - business or personal use?&nbsp; In either case do you and those you&rsquo;ll be interacting with share similar hardware and software?&nbsp; If not will that pose a compatibility issue?&nbsp; Will you be synching devices?
&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s take a look at some expert reviews then. &nbsp;Here are some &ldquo;top lists&rdquo; (courtesy of CNET).&nbsp;
The 5 best tablets:
1)&nbsp; Apple iPad2
2)&nbsp; T-Mobile G-Slate
3)&nbsp; Acer Iconia Tab A500
4)&nbsp; Asus Eee Pad Transformer
5)&nbsp; BlackBerry PlayBook
Check this link for more details:
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-tablets/?tag=contentBody;edPicks
&nbsp;
The 5 best Android tablets:
1)&nbsp;&nbsp; T-Mobile G-Slate
2)&nbsp; Acer Iconia Tab A500
3)&nbsp; Asus Eee Pad Transformer
4)&nbsp; Motorola Xoom
5)&nbsp; Samsung Galaxy Tab
Check this link for more details:
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-tablets/best-5-android-tablets?tag=

The 5 best 7-inch tablets:
1)&nbsp;&nbsp; BlackBerry PlayBook
2)&nbsp; Samsung Galaxy Tab
3)&nbsp; Barnes &amp; Noble Nook Color
4)&nbsp; Dell Streak 7
5)&nbsp; ViewSonic ViewPad7
Check this link for more details:
http://reviews.cnet.com/2733-3126_7-936-3.html?tag=
&nbsp;
Interested in currently released tablets, and what's coming next? &nbsp;Check out this handy little reference chart:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20037960-1.html?tag=contentBody;contentHighlights
&nbsp;
Before you drop the cash on your device of choice, take it for a test drive. &nbsp;Go to a local dealer, or several and use as many devices as possible. &nbsp;Look for the small things - how's the weight? the size? screen resolution? how does it feel in your hands? and of course how does the screen itself feel to your touch? &nbsp;These may be small things but you'll be glad you checked them out as you'll be left with these subtleties&nbsp;for the life of the device.
Finally, if I may be so bold to impart one piece of advice. &nbsp;Purchase with your specific use in mind. &nbsp;Make sure you purchase based on utility not based on status symbol or a feeling of "me too". &nbsp;If it has a "2" on the end of the name will it give you that much more? &nbsp;Will you put it through its paces? &nbsp;Or are you buying because it's simply the newest thing to hit the street?]]></description>
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<author>mhalbmeier@jankelley.com (MichaelHalbmeier)</author>
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<item>
<title>Kung Fu Panda</title>
<link>http://www.jankelley.comblog.php?blogId=143</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 May 2011 00:07:21 -0400</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Well not really, but almost.&nbsp; It might as well be if you're talking about the world of SEO.&nbsp; If you offend this Panda it will slap you silly and send you reeling.&nbsp; Better listen up or you may have the &ldquo;noodle dream&rdquo;.
The new algorithm now incorporates more &ldquo;user feedback signals&rdquo;.
So, what was the main driver that led Google to change its Algorithm that in large part helped shape the company to the giant it is today?&nbsp; Two words &ndash; Content Farms.&nbsp; Content Farms are SEO experts that basically designed their site map and web pages to have one primary goal in mind &ndash; to be easily picked up by search engine web bots and crawlers.&nbsp; Content was no longer created to benefit the customer searching out content on a site.&nbsp; In many cases those that scored high had poor crafted writing, but writing that was easily spotted by a search engine, easier than well-written content that was more hidden within a page or site.
Of course there are other SEO strategies at play in the SEO mix:

Keyword-rich pages
Link development
Site architecture
Page layout
Blogging/Forum Posting
Backlinks
Rich content development

And more still!&nbsp; All at play in hopes of raising your sites &ldquo;Google Trust&rdquo;.
&nbsp;
But in many cases the content was all a fa&ccedil;ade - a crafty way to gain higher page rankings and entice users to click on a site as a result of that higher ranking.&nbsp; Well Google had had enough.&nbsp; And who could blame them?&nbsp; The biggest search engine company...no the leading technology company on the planet, no longer had a secret formula. &nbsp;Their algorithm was now, in part understood, and could be manipulated for personal gain. &nbsp;When you&rsquo;re a technology company and you don&rsquo;t have an edge over competion that is biting at your heels you&rsquo;re finished.&nbsp; Toast.
Enter the Panda algorithm.&nbsp; 
In addition to content farms, aggregator/spam sites were targeted.&nbsp; Google of course won&rsquo;t comment on how specific sites are impacted by the algorithmic improvements.
So what can you do to ensure that your site is rich with high-quality user-feedback signals?
1)&nbsp;&nbsp; Link tracking.&nbsp; Make sure low-quality sites remove their links.&nbsp; You do not want negative association as a result of a low-grade backlink
2)&nbsp; Focus on growing backlinks for reputable sites with like-minded industry vertical sites.&nbsp; Join with your friends.&nbsp; If a backlink from a site sounds or feels weird &ndash; it probably is, and should be removed
3)&nbsp; Content is king!&nbsp; Keep up with the constant content creation.&nbsp; How&rsquo;s the blog aspect of your site?&nbsp; If you can aggregate content from a number of contributors you&rsquo;ll have a goldmine of content on your hands
4)&nbsp; Social Media.&nbsp; LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, etc.&nbsp; Learn to love it.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ll be happy you did &ndash; trust me.&nbsp; Your target is on social media, you need to be too.&nbsp; Share the benefit of a product or service &ndash; don&rsquo;t give people the hard sell.&nbsp; Social media can become an online sales force unlike any sales personnel you employ now.&nbsp; Nothing beats a recommendation from a friend &ndash; even if it is a single serving online friend.&nbsp; Purchase influencers are all over social media.&nbsp; Be sure to listen, and engage when it&rsquo;s time to do so.&nbsp; Interested in a list of social media sites?&nbsp; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites
So, having said all that, it&rsquo;s good to know that your SEO partner is well versed with Google&rsquo;s new algorithm and has things well in hand for you.
&hellip;
&hellip;your SEO partner does know about the Google Panda algorithm right?&nbsp; Of course they do, because if they didn&rsquo;t then their SEO strategies would be antiquated and as a result your page rank, and Google Trust factor diminished.&nbsp; So it&rsquo;s a good thing they have this covered.&nbsp; Well if they don&rsquo;t you know who does &ndash; your friends and partners at JAN Kelley.&nbsp; Anyone up for a little Kung Fu Panda?
&nbsp;
In case you&rsquo;re interested in diving a little deeper, here are some other links you can use as resources:
http://techchunks.com/seo/google-panda-update-seo-survival-guide-best-tips/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20054797-281.html?tag=rtcol;inTheNewsNow
http://www.seobook.com/google-update-panda
http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/110304-095114
http://www.webpronews.com/google-panda-algorithm-update-whats-known-whats-possible-2011-03]]></description>
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<author>mhalbmeier@jankelley.com (MichaelHalbmeier)</author>
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<item>
<title>myEDGE  myPromos 20  meet the Navistar channel</title>
<link>http://www.jankelley.comblog.php?blogId=142</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 May 2011 20:42:42 -0400</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[myEDGE unveils myPromos 2.0
&nbsp;
myPromos 2.0 has received unprecedented fan-fare at Navistar and for good reason!&nbsp; This application allows users to access and customize a large number of templates online at any time and email the result to their customer base, or download high-res, print-ready files for local print.&nbsp; More importantly this version of myPromos is very visual, extremely intuitive and FAST!&nbsp; In mere seconds a fully customized template can be created.&nbsp; Before we get too far ahead about why this new application is so great, let&rsquo;s back up first and take a look at the reason myPromos even came to being.
It all started back in 2006 when the myEDGE crew knew that dealers could take advantage of a tool that provided customization ability to a plethora of collateral elements available through an online system.&nbsp; The admin beta was built after months of hard fought R&amp;D.&nbsp; Navistar however had opportunities elsewhere and myEDGE was right there to support with those initiatives.&nbsp; myPromos, for now, took a back seat.
Then, in the fall of 2008, myPromos 1.0 was released and immediately struck a chord with dealer and suppliers.&nbsp; The opportunity to create sales flyers, in-store materials, and coupons 24/7/365 was something this program&rsquo;s stakeholders were looking for.&nbsp; myPromos was officially off to the races!
Never resting on our laurels though, we knew we had an opportunity to have an even greater impact with our channel partners.&nbsp; Learning from user feedback, and closely watching changes in technology and the new opportunities for development that were coming, myPromos went into R&amp;D mode once again.
In the fall of 2010 myPromos 2.0 admin beta was released.&nbsp; Now was the time to demo this new interface and user experience with existing myPromos users &ndash; and new ones as well including IC Bus dealers, and Global dealers.&nbsp;
myPromos 2.0 just launched to dealers this weekend and has leap-frogged over its predecessors on many fronts.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s take a look at what the new myPromos has to offer:

Templates: &nbsp;&nbsp;Is over 1000 enough? &nbsp;Well that's what is in the system. &nbsp;We'll work on that one...&nbsp;
&ldquo;My Favourites&rdquo;: &nbsp;A way to bookmark the most commonly used templates for easy, repeat access"
&ldquo;Pending&rdquo;: &nbsp;A quick link to return to a template being worked on in the case a user moves to another area of the application without completing the template being worked on
&ldquo;Saved&rdquo;: &nbsp;A repository of all previously created documents.&nbsp; Users can quickly access templates previously created, make modifications to an offer and then re-save (rather than starting from the beginning)

All templates access the parts data in the proprietary myEDGE system with over 2,200 to choose from.&nbsp; In addition to parts, user can customize templates by creating service offers &ndash; fully customizable (the sky is the limit here).
Users can create custom offers by searching the filter tool for coupons, flyer templates, in-store signage, postcards, and print ads.&nbsp; But that&rsquo;s just the first step.&nbsp; After that, users can select another layer down which includes others &ndash; customer promotions, segment, service, and supplier offers.
Currently, myPromos has 17 (14 more than the original) user experience configurations that span attributes including Navistar contracts for whole goods, branding experiences, &nbsp;dealer attributes, user attributes, an interface in multiple languages, and even paper size differences for Imperial vs. Metric.
myPromos is not only used by various departments at the dealer level &ndash; like Parts Managers, Parts Directors, and Outside Sales Staff, this application is also used by Product Team members at Navistar WHQ responsible for the continued growth and promotion of suppliers and their product lines.


What&rsquo;s next on the myPromos front?&nbsp; 
Well how about an ecommerce front end that lets users order collateral materials online and have those printed at the highest quality standards with one of our print partners, shipped to their location?
How about a community-based ranking system that allows users to provide input to the collateral pieces that they have access to.&nbsp; Users rank on a sliding scale and the highest recommended templates populate the &ldquo;Featured Templates&rdquo; on the landing page.
How about a searching mechanism that allows users with the same dealer corporation search out materials created from other locations?&nbsp; In some cases this is upwards of 15 locations!&nbsp; Users can replicate a template, and then start customizing a copy of the original.
How about&hellip;well you get the point.&nbsp;
What about the competition?&nbsp; Well we know we have a leg up when suppliers tell us that CAT and Freightliner don&rsquo;t have a product, or a suite of applications like myEDGE.&nbsp; We also know we have a leg up on the competition when multi-line dealers tell us the other OEs they support do not have a tool like this. &nbsp;It's for this very reason dealers look to this application to support their aftermarket All-Makes parts sales.
You see, the partnership between StrategyOne Digital and JAN Kelley is the reason why tools like this reach this high-level of user-simplicity.&nbsp; As part of a large group behind this, and all the myEDGE business building tools, I can personally guarantee there will be no rest until there is perfection.&nbsp; And when we have reached perfection, we&rsquo;ll release our next version pushing the envelope even further.&nbsp;&nbsp; As a result of continuous feedback and tireless effort, there&rsquo;s no end in sight to the innovation that will drive local marketing and sales efforts for all of our program partners.
Wanna take a test drive of one of the finest print collateral on demand systems out there?&nbsp; Give me a call.&nbsp;&nbsp;]]></description>
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<author>mhalbmeier@jankelley.com (MichaelHalbmeier)</author>
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<item>
<title>myEDGE launches over 160000 unique websites</title>
<link>http://www.jankelley.comblog.php?blogId=141</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:56:47 -0400</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[...I'm not kidding.
&nbsp;
5 years ago the myEDGE Virtual Parts Counter (VPC) was born.&nbsp; From its humble beginnings of a promotional site pushing offers to customers en mass, it has undergone several iterations of refinement.
NATIONAL VIRTUAL PARTS AND SERVICE COUNTERS:
The newly released National Virtual Parts Counter is in its 3rd generation. &nbsp;Available since the beginning to customers in the U.S. and Canada in English and French.&nbsp; Navistar has been able to promote parts and service offers and unique promotions to potential customers online. &nbsp;When it originally launched, Dealers enjoyed this new functionality, however sometimes they didn&rsquo;t support a given supplier or price point.
DEALER CUSTOMER VIRTUAL PARTS AND SERVICE COUNTERS:
Enter the Custom Virtual Parts Counter, launched along with the National VPC 2.0 in 2008.&nbsp; Each of the 230+ primary myEDGE dealers had their very own Virtual Parts Counter that they could link to their corporate dealer sites, or use as a stand alone site if they so wished.&nbsp; This site brought on new functionality for the dealers who now enjoyed a site they could customize according to all offers they supported&nbsp; through the myEDGE bimonthly flyer.&nbsp; In addition, the CPVC allowed dealers to add parts from the myEDGE database, and include cross-sell, up-sell service offers. &nbsp;Dealers could customize 24/7/365 giving them the flexibility to anticipate, and react to their local markets, their competitors and most importantly offer the most relevant promotions and information to their customers.
CUSTOMER-CENTRIC PERSONAL URL VIRTUAL PARTS AND SERVICE COUNTERS:
But of course we weren&rsquo;t done yet.&nbsp; We have now ushered in the era of Personal URLS (PURLs) to the myEDGE program. &nbsp;In addition to continuing to offer the National VPC, and Custom VPCs, myEDGE now has over 160,000 active PURLs.&nbsp; Each PURL acts as its very own customer-centric Virtual Parts Counter website &ndash; a site dedicated to the individual customer&rsquo;s parts, promotion, and information needs.
Dealers can continue to make all the customizations they enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) on their Customer Virtual Parts Counter, but can now customize each target group, or target customer&rsquo;s site with unique and compelling offers tailored specifically for them.&nbsp; This opens all kinds of unique targeting opportunities including segmentation by:

Customer      Type
Contact      Method
Geographic      Segmentation
Vehicle      Segment
Vehicle      Class
Fleet      Size
Truck      Brand
Industry

Dealers can also send a PURL segmented offer to target customer(s) via HTML email.&nbsp; Once a customer clicks on the email, they are redirected to their PURL site.
In addition to having PURLs on the www, the customer&rsquo;s PURL is now printed on their myEDGE bimonthly flyer.&nbsp; This means that myEDGE produces over 160,000 unique direct mail pieces every 2 months.
You might be curious how the myEDGE program could possibly manage over 160,000 websites. &nbsp;Well that&rsquo;s a secret I won&rsquo;t divulge here.&nbsp; Let me just tell you a lot of creative minds were at the table &ndash; that&rsquo;s right our partners at StrategyOne Digital and the rest of the myEDGE team at JKM pulled it all together.&nbsp; As always, if you want to know more look me up for a chat.
So what will the next evolution be in the myEDGE PURL?&nbsp;
How about Customer Profile data collection via the PURL to enrich their own profile within a given dealer&rsquo;s database?&nbsp;
How about allowing a forum for customer feedback, and then present that feedback to the dealer via a customized Program Portal experience?&nbsp;
How about a customer referral program that allows a customer to pass along offer details to friends/prospects via HTML email.&nbsp; Once a friend clicks on the HTML email, a PURL is generated on the flyer for that new prospect, and automatically back-feeds to the dealer database with an alert advising a new prospect has expressed interest in an offer.&nbsp;
How about&hellip;well you get the point we have a list that rivals Santa&rsquo;s in length&hellip;
myEDGE always has, and always will be a program run by a passionate team that truly offers a competitive advantage for dealers, suppliers and Navistar corporate alike.&nbsp; A program that every year prides itself on being on the leading edge of technology, and a healthy dose of daily dedicated customer engagement.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re looking for second-rate, you won&rsquo;t find it here.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ll have to look elsewhere.]]></description>
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<author>mhalbmeier@jankelley.com (MichaelHalbmeier)</author>
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