Category: Business

The Convair 880

DESIGN ORIGINS:

Although smaller and lagging behind Boeing’s 707 and Douglas’s DC-8, Convair’s 880, featuring the same overall configuration, could have preceded them. Seeking to build upon the success of its CV-240, -340, and -440 pistonliners, the Covnair Division of General Dynamics considered the same design route its competitors took as far back as 1955–namely, develop a low, swept-wing, quad-engine, 123-passenger, JT3-powered Model 18 domestic jetliner and a larger, J4-powered intercontinental Model 19, seating 24 more. Unlike the 707, both would have inceptionally offered six-abreast coach seating and perhaps have been the US aircraft with which to have competed.

But TWA, through Howard Hughes, its majority shareholder, was the only carrier that expressed interest. Nevertheless, if Convair could not have been first, it was at least the first to admit that the market could not support three first-generation jet airliners and officially announced that it cancelled its own proposal on July 28, 1955.

Success, Convair concluded, could be achieved with significant product differentiation, and toward this end it proposed the Model 22. Alternatively designated Skylark 600 to reflect is 600-mph cruising speed, it was intended for intermediate ranges with capacities of about 80, offering performance superior to that of the 707 or the DC-8. Yet, despite its speed, it paradoxically created its own limitations, because the piston-plying local service carriers toward which it should have been targeted did not have the financial capability to order and operate such an advanced, expensive design, and suitable powerplants for the 50-seaters that would have been more appropriate for them were not available, once again leaving TWA as the most likely launch customer.

Although it appeared as if it would compete with Boeing’s 707 and Douglas’s DC-8, Convair believed that both of these first-generation, long-range airliners offered too much capacity on some of the routes they initially served. The sheer transition from types such as the Lockheed Constellation and the Douglas DC-6 and DC-7 resulted in almost double the amount of seating required. It also felt that they operated over sectors that were too short for their design goals. As a result, they saw the need for a comparable four-engine aircraft that was intended for shorter-range, lower-capacity routes.

In concept, it sought to design the first intermediate-range and -capacity jetliner.

While it was firmly convinced of the need for such an aircraft, engines to power it were limited, and it questioned whether such sectors could even be exploited with pure-jet technology. That the Comet 1’s brief, but catastrophic introduction to the jet age cast doubts about this form of air transport certainly did nothing to gain passenger acceptance of it and caused a protracted period of development.

The intended aircraft was, to a significant degree, dictated by Trans World Airlines, which, controlled by Howard Hughes, determined its performance and specifications. Because he continually changed them, it could not assume any definitive form. He initially envisioned a medium-range airliner to serve routes similar to those intended for the domestic versions of the 707-120 and the DC-8-10, for instance, but with fewer passengers.

While the Convair Division of General Dynamics agreed with his original design definition, it felt that its range, geared toward TWA’s routes, was insufficient and an increase would enhance its flexibility. Because they believed that the market for such a pure-jet design was just emerging, they saw the large-capacity pistonliners as replacing the 707s and DC-8s on these shorter routes, questioning the purpose of such a jet.

While TWA’s philosophy was advanced, technology was not. No suitable powerplant then existed, especially since jet speeds could only be exploited on longer sectors, leaving the medium-range market as the only viable one.

Yet Convair had unknowingly placed its program on a course of failure. It could have seized the opportunity to design an aircraft for a segment that had no competition. Neither Boeing nor Douglas had available engineering talent or even production capacity to launch such a design at the time, and Convair’s own reputation would certainly have proven an advantage in light of its earlier, piston series of short-range airliners.

But the deciding factor was one which Convair did not envision-namely, that passengers had so embraced pure-jet travel, that they expected it on all ranges.

The project’s direction, in all fairness, was not entirely up to Convair, which itself was under heavy influence from Hughes. Representing the future aircraft’s only launch customer, he had ultimate authority, yet, demonstrating his eccentric tendencies, he himself was not sure which market the idealized aircraft should serve and frequently changed his mind. During his negotiations with Convair, for instance, he dictated transatlantic range, such as from New York to Paris, yet at the same time stressed the necessary economy for operation over medium routes, like those from Boston to Chicago.

Although he had already ordered 707-120s for TWA, they did not have transcontinental range in their original, non-fanned versions, and he refused to approach Douglas with his needs because of his traditionally poor relations with them. The only other major US manufacturer, Lockheed, was already designing its own short- to medium-range alternative, the L-188 Electra, which was turboprop-powered.

As a result, Convair, whose strings were continually pulled by Hughes, had little choice but to respond with variations and iterations that had so far only existed on paper.

After numerous meetings, which sometimes spanned the night, it was ultimately decided to power the new aircraft with four Pratt and Whitney J-57 turbojets, currently the only commercial ones available and therefore also employed by the 707. But the Convair design attained its first competitive advantage when the higher-thrust J-79s appeared on the horizon, since they would enable it to offer superior performance and shorter block times than the similarly powered and configured Boeing or Douglas counterparts.

Convair had already amassed experience with the engine on its delta winged B-58 Hustler, then the fastest bomber. Refined and modified for civil use, it would prove an ideal power source for a commercial airliner, offering a 35-mph greater cruise speed than the competing 707s and DC-8s. It was that advantage that convinced Hughes to order the aircraft.

After receipt of 30 firm orders from TWA, Convair officially announced the program in April of 1956. Although it appeared similar to the 707 at this time, it featured a shorter, narrower fuselage, a lower fuel capacity, and a lower gross weight.

Delta Air Lines was the second interested customer. Having already ordered the non-fanned DC-8-10 for its long-range, US domestic routes, it believed that shorter-segment jet operation could be economical because of overwhelming passenger acceptance of it and it was particularly attracted by its promised performance. As a result, it placed a ten-firm order, valued at $3.5 million per aircraft, on June 20, 1956.

Full program go-ahead proceeded in September of that year.

Although the type’s initial designation was Convair Model 22, it changed several times-to the Skylark and finally to the Golden Arrow to reflect its initially intended golden anodized fuselage and its superior speed. After it was discovered that variations in the aluminum panels would not have created a uniform tint, its name changes once again continued-in this case, to the Convair 600 to reflect its 600-mph cruise speed, and then Convair 880 to express that speed in feet-per-second. The definitive Convair CV-880 was thus born.

The inability to determine its designation was perhaps reflective of the fact that the project’s design definition was still elusive. Exactly which market it had been designed for was still not determinable, since it strove to cater to one created by TWA, through Hughes. Unable to efficiently combine features for both medium- and long-range deployment, it became a hybrid expression.

Because of the inability to define its market, Barry J. Schiff wrote in his book, The Boeing 707 (Arco Publishing Company, 1967, p. 20), “As for the Convair 880, it was simply too small and too late,” a statement that reflects the fact that it appeared to have been designed for the same mission as the 707 itself. It was not.

CONVAIR 880 DESIGN FEATURES:

The Convair 880, with a 129.4-foot overall length, featured a circular section fuselage comprised of aluminum skins as thick as one-eighth of an inch that both reduced the number of required stringers and minimized internal noise. Cabin floor support was provided by transverse beams.

External vision was achieved with windows consisting of two stretched plexiglass panes, only one of which was required to carry the full load, and a third, rubber-mounted one.

The all-metal wing, the thinnest ever employed on a commercial airliner and therefore able to offer the aircraft’s high performance, was built up of both forward and aft spars, as well as a partial center one that extended to the outboard engine pylon. Its construction was completed by means of bulkheads and machine tapered skins. Scotchweld, a Convair-designed process first used in the production of the Convair-General Dynamics F-102 and F-106 interceptors, entailed the insertion of a thin adhesive film between the surfaces that had to be joined before being riveted and was followed by entire airfoil baking in a low-heat furnace. The resulting, leak-proof structure created fuel-tight wing integral tanks that eliminated the need for additional rivets and their associated weight.

Each wing contained a double-skinned leading edge, along which ran a hot air deicing duct, and three-section, double-slotted trailing edge flaps. Manually operated, spoiler-linked ailerons, which themselves were hydraulically actuated, augmented roll control, but both the spoilers and the trailing edge flaps could be used as speedbrakes in flight.

The wings themselves, mounted with seven degrees of dihedral, had a 35-degree sweepback, a 120-foot span, and 2,000-squre-foot area. Their maximum loading was 92.25 pounds per square foot.

Fuel, whose collective capacity was 10,770 US gallons, was stored in the wing integral tanks. Consumption, at 30,000 feet, was 1,700 gallons per hour.

Oil capacity was 28 US gallons.

The horizontal tail, mounted with a small degree of dihedral, had a 35-degree sweepback and a 395-square-foot area and was hydraulically operated with manually controlled, servo tab-provisioned elevators. The vertical tail, with a 295-squre-foot area, had a manually operated rudder and gave the aircraft a 36.4-foot overall height.

Power was provided by four 11,200 thrust-pound, cowling-encased General Electric CJ-805-3 turbofans pylon-mounted to the wing leading edge underside by means of cantilever struts. Equipped with both daisy-type noise suppressors and clamshell thrust reversers, they eliminated the need for then-common water injection, as occurred with the 707-120 and the DC-8-10, to increase output, reducing, in the process, the amount of smoke emission. Considered the most advanced turbojet at the time, it was lighter and simpler and required less maintenance attention than other comparable pure-jet engines.

The Convair 880 rested on a ten-wheel tricycle undercarriage manufactured by Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Company. The steerable nose unit, which retracted forward into the fuselage, consisted of dual wheels whose size was 29 x 7.7 and whose tire pressure was 160 psi. The two main gear units, each of which featured two pairs of tandemly arranged wheels, retracted laterally into fuselage bays and featured a 39 x 13 size and 150-psi tire pressure. All three bogies, which were hydraulically retractable, but could be gravity extended, were equipped with air-cooled disc brakes, shock absorbers, and wheel axle-located anti-skid units.

As with all aircraft, their extension increased drag and reduced air speed.

Entry was provided by two port and two starboard, uniquely wedge-shaped passenger and galley servicing doors, whose dimensions were greatest at the shoulder level, but gradually reduced due to progressive tapering. Two overwing emergency exits facilitated evacuation.

The aircraft was standardly operated by a three-person cockpit crew, although there was provision for up to five.

The passenger cabin, measuring 89.3 feet in length, 10.8 feet in width, and 7.1 feet in height, featured closely spaced windows and seat tracks that facilitated installation of several cabin configurations and densities. Forward and aft areas were standardly occupied by galleys and lavatories, but seating varied according to customer: a four-abreast first class section, for instance, entailed seat pairs on either side of a two-foot aisle, separated themselves by a 20-inch armrest, and they were rreclinable to 38 degrees. Coach or economy class seats were usually in a five-abreast, two-three, arrangement, while a club lounge, consisting of 12 places around a coffee table in living room-style, could be optionally installed in the forward part of the cabin.

All first class and coach configurations resulted in, respectively, 88- and 110-passenger capacities, with several mixtures of each varying accommodation.

A single, unenclosed overhead rack, in which passenger service units offering air vent, reading light, flight attendant call, speaker grill, and drop-down oxygen mask facilities, provided storage for light hat, coat, pillow, and blanket items.

Even in a single-class configuration, the cabin offered artificial division by means of varying ceiling panel heights and lighting effects.

Glass fiber padding and sound-dampening tape installed between the fuselage panels and the cabin walls reduced internal noise levels.

Pressurization was achieved by dual, independent Hamilton Standard air conditioning systems, which compressed the air ingested by two wing leading edge intake ducts, cooled it to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and then circulated it throughout the cockpit and the passenger cabin, changing it every 2.5 minutes. An 8.2-psi differential ensured that sea level conditions were maintained up to a 20,000-foot altitude, while a 6,000-foot atmosphere was achieved at 35,000 feet. Eight thousand feet was maintained at the aircraft’s 41,000-foot service ceiling.

Two lower deck baggage, cargo, and mail compartments, accessed by starboard hatches, collectively offered an 863 cubic foot volume.

With a 23,150-pound payload capability, the Convair 880 had a 184,500-pound maximum takeoff weight and required a 5,200-foot runway. Rate-of-climb at this weight was 3,700 fpm. Its 615-mph cruising speed qualified it as the fastest commercial jet airliner at the time. Range with a first class payload was 3,450 statute miles. Its maximum landing weight was 132,800 pounds.

SERVICE ENTRY:

Despite the obstacles that had plagued the Convair 880’s design definition, the aircraft that first took to the sky from San Diego’s Lindbergh Field on January 27, 1959 exuded speed. A narrow, drag-reducing fuselage extended from its pointed nose, its razor-thin wings were swept back, and its turbofans were housed in long, thin nacelles. It subsequently landed on Coronado Island’s North Island Naval Air Station after a successful maiden flight.

During its 14-month, three production-aircraft flight test program, the type achieved Mach 0.93 speeds, which exceeded its 0.89-maximum; its water tank immersion consistently applied an internal, 8.6-psi pressure, which itself exceeded its 8.2-psi design goal; and the simulated pressurization cycle, coupled with upward and downward flexing of its wings, resulted in the equivalent of 20 years of service life. Every test was passed without structural failure, resulting in FAA type certification the following year, on May 1.

Although the aircraft should theoretically have been inaugurated into service by TWA, its launch customer and, in many respects, its designer, the honor fell instead to Delta Air Lines. Hughes, source of both catalyst and conflict, was once again behind the obstacle.

Oblivious to TWA’s financial capability, he ordered 33 707s and 18 CV-990s, an advanced, higher-performance successor to the CV-880, despite the fact that it neither needed such a massive fleet nor could determine which types were appropriate to which routes. Because his own millionaire status had been reduced to one of debt, he could not afford a 76-aircraft expenditure himself nor could TWA secure the necessary loans to cover it.

Forced, therefore, to delay their delivery, he was unable to offer TWA its rightful launch carrier status and he even inhibited further aircraft production with armed guard surveillance.

In the event, Delta, the type’s second operator, became its first. In order to prepare for its inauguration, it had opened the Delta-General Electric Jet Familiarization School on March 11, 1957 in Atlanta, the first such airline-established facility, with an initial, 26-strong class. All were subsequently elevated to instructors.

Delta’s first glimpse of its new flagship was attained during a July 1957 visit to Convair’s production facility in San Diego, but the aircraft was only in plywood mock-up form at the time. By the end of the year, the wing subassemblies were built and wing-to-fuselage mating occurred in October of 1958. Attended by some 1,000, its roll-out ceremony took place two months later, on December 15.

Hopes, spirit, and lift combined the following month when it rose into the sky and completed the successful one -hour, 16-minute maiden flight of what it considered its medium-range jet aircraft. On February 6, 1960, two Delta pilots received their Convair 880 type certification and four days later, C. E. Woolman, the airline’s president, was given the golden key to his first aircraft at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field.

Speed, the aircraft’s intended advantage over existing quad-engine jetliners, was demonstrated before the type even entered service. In an intentionally staged demonstration, a Delta Air Lines Convair 880 covered the 2,359 miles between San Diego and Miami in three hours, 31 minutes, 54 seconds on its delivery flight, cruising at 641 mph and crossing Texas in a mere 50 minutes, before continuing to its Atlanta destination, marking the second time the carrier achieved a cross-country record after the previous one established during its DC-8 delivery from Santa Monica to the same Florida city.

A subsequent sector to Atlanta, following its Florida arrival ceremony, qualified it for its Delta-bestowed title of “undisputed speed champion,” reflecting the type’s design goal and the competitive advantage it offered over existing Boeing and Douglas types.

Delta inaugurated “Royal Jet Service” with the CV-880 on May 15, 1960 from Houston to New York-Idlewild with aircraft N8802E configured with a 12-place forward lounge and a 72-passenger, four-abreast first class cabin. Two other inaugural routes were also flown that day-from New York to New Orleans with N8804E and from New York to Atlanta with N8803E.

The events also marked the second time in its history that it had done so with a new jetliner because of extenuating circumstances. During the first, a time difference had bestowed it with the honor over United with the DC-8-10.

Nine CV-880s delivered that year enabled Delta to offer an increasing number of intermediate-range routes with it, including Dallas-Atlanta and Houston-New Orleans on July 1; Chicago-New Orleans and Chicago-Atlanta on August 1; Houston-St. Louis-Chicago and Philadelphia-Baltimore-New Orleans-Houston on October 30; and Chicago-Miami and Cincinnati-Miami by the end of the year. By December of 1961, it also operated the type internationally-in this case, to Montego Bay in Jamaica and to Caracas in Venezuela.

It stressed the speed of both its DC-8s and CV-880s in two of its advertisements. “Delta means the most jets to the most places” in one and “The fastest, quietest, most luxurious jetliner travel to the world is now available as new Delta Convair 880s link New York nonstop with Atlanta, New Orleans, and Houston.” In the other. It continued by saying that “eighteen major cities will soon be on Delta’s Convair 880 and DC-8 jet routes.”

By mid-1972, the CV-880 notched up nine official speed records during their routine scheduled operations. But on December 5 of the previous year, it had already relinquished its all-first class strategy, reconfiguring its aircraft with 56 four-abreast first and 32 five-abreast coach cabins. The forward lounge was altogether eliminated.

Its 17-strong fleet, sequentially registered N88801E to N8817E, ultimately touched down in 24 cities.

Offering the same jet speeds and comfort on medium-range routes as its DC-8s did on its longer ones, and providing unmatched competition to Eastern with its piston-powered types, Delta received overwhelming passenger acceptance and praise, and its pilots would often point out its rival’s slower-flying, propeller aircraft as they passed them.

Because it introduced pure-jet technology on routes never having previously received it, it was able to credit the 880 with its growth.

Yet all was not as smooth as its advertising suggested. Although, like all newly integrated aircraft in an airline’s fleet, it demonstrated the expected teething troubles, it experienced a fatal crew training flight on May 23, 1960. Piloted by Captain Henry L. Loube, who was being trained, the aircraft, designated Delta Training Flight 1903, rotated and commenced a steep climb, first banking to the left and then to the right, at which point it stalled and plummeted to the ground, killing all four crew members.

It was determined that the number four engine had been inadvertently throttled back to the idle position and that the aircraft naturally yawed in that direction. With only 2.5 seconds in which to recover, it was not able to do so.

Nevertheless, the type enabled business passengers to fly to more distant destinations and return home the same evening, while leisure-oriented ones fly further afield in shorter times.

Both the Convair 880 and the Douglas DC-8 provided increased productivity, since they accommodated more passengers and achieved greater productivity, operating a greater number of daily flights than the pistons they replaced. Their greater reliability also resulted in reduced maintenance-necessitated downtime.

Higher than expected fuel costs, however, resulted in their earlier-than-intended retirement as they constituted partial payment for the Boeing 727-200s that replaced them. Delta operated its last scheduled CV-880 flight in 1973.

TWA’s financial situation continued to rob it of its inaugural-carrier status. Indeed, six aircraft leased to New England-based Northeast Airlines, which itself later merged with Delta, gave it second-operator status after Howard Hughes agreed to release six of TWA’s 30 still-undelivered aircraft.

Aircraft N8482H set its own transcontinental delivery speed record on November 30, 1960 when it covered the San-Diego-Boston distance in four hours, 17 minutes, at a time when the 10,000-foot, 250-knot speed restriction had yet to be implemented.

Featuring a 32 first and 65 coach class interior, tis first Convair 880, mostly sporting TWA’s interior outfitting, was inaugurated into service the following month, on December 15, between Boston and Miami with an intermediate stop in Philadelphia, once again pitting its pure-jet aircraft against Eastern’s slower piston ones to Florida.

Although it ultimately operated a half-dozen, sequentially registered N8478H to N8483H, financial difficulties prompted their premature return. But they were subsequently replaced with four others, registered N8492H to N8495H, featuring 24 first and 74 coach class cabins and, by 1966, yellow exterior liveries to reflect the carrier’s new “Northeast Yellow Bird” image. It emphasized their advantage in its “world’s fastest jetliner” advertisements.

Even before the Delta merger, it began to replace its CV-880s with 727-200 trijets of its own.

Despite the design-determining input through Howard Hughes, TWA never had the honor of being the first to inaugurate the Convair 880 into scheduled service, although it could boast of operating the largest number of them-to the tune of 28. Seventeen days after the January 1, 1961 delivery of its first, it had amassed an initial, five-strong fleet, which included one example that had provided crew familiarization training.

Actual service implementation occurred on January 12 from five cities in its route system-namely, New York-Idlewild, Chicago-O’Hare, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles-but Dayton, San Francisco, and Kansas City rapidly followed by the end of the month.

As with other Convair 880 operators, its initial interior luxury vision, with a 12-place forward lounge, eleven four-abreast first-class seat rows, and seven five-abreast economy ones, progressively yielded to increased revenue and capacity, partially to cater to coach class travel demand, resulting in a 77-passenger main cabin that could only be serviced with the installation of an additional aft galley. Although its narrower fuselage, only accommodating five-abreast seating, proved a detriment to airline sales, passengers found it an advantage, since four-fifths of all seats were either window or aisle ones.

By the end of August of 1962, TWA served 17 US domestic destinations with the superlative-speed Convair 880, its longest route, from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles, a virtual transcontinental one.

The following year, it acquired the six aircraft that had been intermittently leased to Northeast, and by October of 1964, all routes west of Wichita, Kansas, were served by them, ending its era of piston Lockheed Constellation operation there.

Demonstrating its design goals, the Convair 880 achieved several speed records in scheduled service. On January 24, 1961, for instance, a TWA example flew from Chicago to New York in one-hour, 11 minutes, reaching an 849-mph ground speed during the Columbus-Pittsburgh portion of it.

As had occurred with both Delta and Northeast, TWA became the third carrier to replace the quad-engine Convairs with tri-engine 727-200s when it announced a 17-firm and 17-optioned order for them on April 25, 1973. The following year, on June 15, the last CV-880 flight, with aircraft N824TW, was operated between Chicago and Kansas City.

Despite what may be considered accolades, the Convair 880 still fell short of its promised speed. Along with its narrow cabin and competition from the quickly-designed Boeing 720 to compete with it, it only attained 48 sales.

CONVAIR 880M:

Although the aircraft’s superior performance served as its strength, it still failed to meet its performance goals. As a result, Convair designed a minimal-change variant that would increase its speed and range.

Designated CV-880M, it introduced four leading edge slat panels, two of which spanned the distance between the engine pylons and two of which ran from the outer powerplant to the wingtip. These, extending forward and down to increase airfoil camber, were actuated in conjunction with the existing, double-slotted trailing edge flaps and improved low-speed lift. Yet the gap between the wing-to-fuselage intersection and the inner engine was equally filled-in this case, by Kreuger flaps that extended up- and outward from their under-wing retraction positions, ensuring proper air flow over the horizontal stabilizers, all in an arrangement that was not unlike that of Boeing’s own 727, which employed this Krueger flap, leading edge slat, and trailing edge flap configuration to achieve maximum low-speed lift.

Wing loading increased to 96.25 pounds per square foot.

Fuel capacity also increased-in this case, to 13,870 US gallons after installation of three center section bag tanks.

Yaw axis control was augmented with a larger fin, whose rudder was now controlled by a combination of aerodynamic and hydraulic power boosting, although the horizontal stabilizer’s elevators remained aerodynamically operated.

Power was provided by four 11,650 thrust-pound General Electric CJ-805-3B turbofans.

A strengthened undercarriage with higher capacity brakes catered to the slightly higher weights, and a retractable tail skid was introduced.

With new maximum payload and takeoff weights of 26,780 and 203,400 pounds, respectively, he Convair 880M, which had originally been designated Model 22M, had a 4,210-statute-mile first class payload range. Its maximum landing weight increased to 155,000 pounds. The variant’s greater lift reduced its stall speed to 106 mph and it required a 4,930-foot runway for landing.

The first such CV-880M, which was a modified CV-880, first took to the skies on October 3 and was soon joined by two other aircraft that constituted the nine-month flight test program.

Although US-based Capital Airlines, a major Vickers Viscount turboprop operator, was the type’s launch customer after it placed a seven-strong order, it was cancelled after United Airlines acquired the carrier. United itself chose the comparable, but wider-cabin Boeing 720 for its intermediate-range needs, its six-abreast seating capacity sealing the deal.

This transferred the launch customer title to Civil Air Transport (CAT) of Taiwan, which took delivery of its first aircraft on June 5, 1961 and inaugurated it into service the following month, on July 17.

Viasa Venezuelan International Airways become the major South American operator of the modified version, enabling it to connect Caracas with both Miami and New York on August 8 and to deploy its longer-range DC-8s on transatlantic routes to Europe.

Only twelve days later, Alaska Airlines, the only US carrier to order it, placed it in service between Anchorage and the Lower-48, and Swissair, which ordered the higher-performance Convair 990 (more about which see), leased two CV-880Ms for interim use on its Far Eastern sectors as of September 10 until it was able to take delivery of the later version.

In the Orient, two major carriers accounted for the type’s operation. Cathay Pacific connected its Hong Kong hub with it as of April 8, 1962 with its nine-strong fleet, which bore registrations VR-HFS, -HFT, -HFX, -HFY, -HFZ, -HGA, -HGC, -HGF, and -HGG.

Japan Air Lines (JAL) placed it into domestic service on its high-density routes, alongside its existing DC-6Bs, DC-7Cs, and Viscounts. As with Viasa, it relegated its DC-8s to its long-range, intercontinental sectors to Europe.

A single CV-880M was purchased by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US.

As had occurred with the original Convair 880, its 880M successor achieved several speed records during routine passenger flights. On December 4, 1961, for instance, a Civil Air Transport CV-880M covered the Taipei-Tokyo distance in 128 minutes, recording a 635.68-mph speed. Earlier that year, on September 19, another CAT aircraft flew from Seoul to Tokyo in a mere 74 minutes, achieving a 679.2-mph speed.

Despite the Convair 880M’s improved performance, only 17 aircraft were, in the end, ordered, all, with the exception of Alaska Airlines, by foreign carriers.

Article Sources:

Lewis, W. David, and Newton, Wesley Phillips. Delta: The History of an Airline. Athens, Georgia: The University of Georgia Press, 1979.

McClement, Fred. It Doesn’t Matter Where You Sit. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.,

1969.

Proctor, Jon. Convair 880 and 990. Miami: World Transport Press, Inc., 1996.

Brand Creation and Criteria for Development

1.0 What is a brand?

Brands can be defined in two ways. Firstly, a brand can be an identification or a mark that differentiates one business from another (through a name or a logo, for example). Secondly, a brand symbolises how people think about your business.Building a brand helps customers in their decision-making, creating a perceived knowledge of what they are going to buy – before they buy it. Brands are based on three related criteria.

Confidence in a business, product or service doing exactly what the customer already believes it will do. For example, a 24-hour convenience store brand can be based on customers’ confidence that it will be open, whatever the time of day or night.The emotional response of the customer to purchasing a product or service. For example, a clothing retailer can create a brand based around making its customers feel good about what they wear, how they look, how good they feel about buying clothes from that shop and what it says about them to their peers.( Josephine Collins,(March 2008)

A brand builds a unique personality for a business, and therefore attracts a defined type of customer.Most importantly, branding is based on consistently rewarding the confidence and delivering the expected emotional response. For example, a domestic cleaning company can build its brand successfully if customers’ homes are always thoroughly cleaned, the owners believe that they are using the best cleaning company and feel good about returning to their newly cleaned homes. Your brand can cover your business as a whole or separate products and services. (Josephine Collins,(March 2008)

When starting your own business, one of your most important concerns is to develop your company’s face to the world. This is your brand. It is the company’s name, how that name is visually expressed through a logo, and how that name and logo extend throughout an organization’s communications. A brand is also how the company is perceived by its customers – the associations and inherent value they place on your business.

A brand is also a kind of promise. It is a set of fundamental principles as understood by anyone who comes into contact with a company. A brand is an organization’s “reason for being”; it is how that reason.( Josephine Collins (March 2008)

is expressed through the various communications to its key audiences, including customers, shareholders, employees, and analysts. A brand should also represent the desired attributes of a company’s products, services, and initiatives.

Apple’s brand is a great example. The Apple logo is clean, elegant, and easily implemented. Notice that the company has altered the use of the apple logo from rainbow-striped to monochromatic. In this way they keep their brand and signal in a new era for their expansive enterprise. Think about how you’ve seen the brand in advertising, trade shows, packaging, product design, and so on. It’s distinctive and it all adds up to a particular promise. The Apple brand stands for quality of design and ease of use.

Brand is a big buzzword in today’s market, but what exactly does it mean? Simply defined, is the brand essence and purpose of what your business stands in the minds of your customers, that they thought what they purchase, both tangible (physical) and intangible (subtleties and feelings ).For example, Nike products provides sports physical. Nike also “selling” speed, fitness, strength, and style.

The brand is not accident, you should deliberately Show&Tell the public what you want them to know and remember about your business unique.

Branding is the action of transferring the brand to target market and create emotional tie to your unique product or service. Branding attract, satisfy and retains customers. Nike work through their consistent visual, logos and slogans determined using well-known athletes as spokespeople for the transfer of non-tangible of their brand.

The brand is important because it solves a problem for consumers. The brand helps them to choose that product or service quality, safety, or function cannot be complete until after the purchase is made is identified. Branding builds trust although cannot remove some risk, especially when doing business with big corporations located outside a local geographic area (credit card companies, broker, online shopping).

Without brand name, products and services easily be compared with each other, any financial institution, insurance representative mix, chocolate bar, coffee, beans, and athletic shoes will be indistinguishable from another, even if in reality a big difference in quality, price, taste, and service can exist.

The Logic behind branding is very simple: If your target market is familiar with your brand and good imagination, they more likely to purchase products and services. But consumers do not know what your business is all about unless you tell them!

Is your company branded? If a distinct graphic, slogan, or feeling doesn’t emerge when buyers hear or see your company name, the brand of your business has yet to be defined and developed. Customers must clearly understand and agree with the nature, character and purpose of your product or service before they’ll buy it. And how they know if you don’t inform them? Hire a professional graphic designer, copywriter, advertising agency to help create and promote your brand of.

It’s never too late to embark on your own branding campaign, regardless of size and age of your business. Creating a successful brand takes deliberate thought and execution, but the sooner you start, the faster the results you see on your bottom line. Here’s how to start:

* Who you are defines what you offer, your method of business, their audiences, and why customers should believe in your products and services is placed.

* The transfer decision and its recognition of all other companies with strong reference image, logo, typeface, colors, slogan, jingle, theme, or tagline. For best results, work with professional skill in graphic design and copywriting.

* Commit to consistently carry your brand through every aspect of your business- stationery, marketing materials, advertising, signage, product packaging, customer service, etc.

Invest in your brand is investing in the success of your company. Clearly know that you are and what you offer, then loudly and consistently portray the image with your target market. Brand of your business is a powerful asset, and therefore maximize its value!

In fact, a brand is mental real estate’. It’s a set of expectations a company instills in its customers and prospects, as well as its employees, suppliers and competition. Further, it’s a service/product or concept that’s easily distinguishable from others. Most important, a brand should enhance how you communicate with customers. I believe that successful branding begins with the recognition that everything a company does/says must drive profits and increase value for the customer. Sounds easy. But what is the true value of branding initiatives (i.e., your ROI), and why invest time and money this seemingly non-revenue-generating activity? In truth, there are many rational reasons, including:

Market Differentiation (competitive advantage)

Customer buying preference (retain a positive impression)

Supports the highest possible tolerance to price (perceived value)

Increased cross-sales opportunities (better profit margins)

Better awareness and recognition (leadership in the market)

Investor confidence (plus employees and external alliances), etc.

Without question, successful branding initiatives can have immense payback and add genuine value to your company, whether new or well-established. However, your brand’s success depends on an implementation strategy comprising four essential must’ principals. It must be a genuine reflection on your core strengths-values-management commitments and align with your customers’ values.

Your brand must also identify a unique position that clearly differentiates you from competitors. It must carry through every aspect of an organization, meaning you must articulate your brand identity into a series of actions, beliefs and tools. Finally, and perhaps most important, it must be consistent over time.

In every brand development process, we employ four distinct elements, each weighted equally. First, the Value Proposition; it defines the uniqueness you provide to customers. Brand Character Definition and Expression follows; the character of your brand must make sense to your most important customers (While your logo is part of your branding, other important elements include corporate identity, company boilerplate, and collateral materials such as brochures, ad templates, website identity, etc.) Next, Positioning Statements must express your place in the market to help suppliers, investors, customers and competitors understand your intent; these concepts often form a mission statement or a byline tagged to your company logo. And lastly, Key Messages must consistently communicate your chosen information; these must promote the brand intent and be consistently employed by the entire team.

Looking further, brand launch must comprise a continuous monitoring process to measure value over time to ensure maximum impact and benefit is being derived. This stage may also include press releases, promotional programs, presentation and memorable methods of reaching the marketplace.

It’s accurate to conclude that your brand gives your company identity, character, presence in the market and, yes, even respect. There is substantial evidence that this structured process works, in both the short and long view. A brand grows successfully by leaving a lasting mental picture a positive mark upon everyone inside and outside your company. A true value picture like none other. As Rodney blurted out on stage at Dangerfields’ that night years ago,” Why am I sweating, I’ve got the job it’s my Club”.

Look after your club’; the benefits of a professionally developed and well managed brand could astound you.

1.1 Do I need a brand?

Every business has already got a brand, even if it doesn’t treat it as one. Your customers (and potential customers) already have a perception of what your business means to them. Building a brand just means communicating your message to them more effectively so they immediately associate your business with their requirements. Brands can help increase turnover by encouraging customer loyalty and are particularly useful if you are in a fast-moving sector. If your business’s environment changes rapidly, a brand provides reassurance to customers and encourages their loyalty.

If you operate in a crowded marketplace a brand can help you stand out. For example,

there are many kinds of adhesive tape, but there is only one Sellotape. If you have no other points of difference and when customers are confronted with a wide choice of comparable suppliers, they will always choose the brand they feel will suit them best. Your suitability for a customer is portrayed through your brand.

Moreover, if you want to add value to your business a successful brand can make businesses more attractive to potential buyers or franchisees.

1.2 Branding a Start up

For start-up and small businesses, branding often takes a backseat to all of the other considerations – such as funding and product development. This is unfortunate, for a company’s brand can be vital to its success. Dollar for dollar, it is as important and needed as any other start-up activity.

Recently, a software management company, temporarily named TallyUp, invested in a branding assignment. Its flagship product, a software suite that tracks and runs bonus incentive plans, needed a clear identity and platform to appeal to its target audience – primarily financial executives. The name TallyUp, while somewhat descriptive, didn’t capture the appropriate and required level of sophistication to attract the desired clientele. TallyUp retained a branding consulting company; they recommended the name Callidus, which is Latin for expert and skillful to effectively and in an instant communicate their position. While both names communicate a similar concept, the new one works on a completely different level. Callidus better suits the ideal position of the company.

Serial entrepreneurs have a great deal of wisdom to share about branding and positioning. You can gather additional useful advice on the challenge of brand development from someone like Thomas Burns, whose story is covered in our article, Building a Credible Brand for Your Small Business.

If you’re concerned about the cost of brand development, take heart. While it’s easy to spend a lot to create a brand, you don’t have to. Read our article, How Much Does a Brand Cost? to understand the price range of brand development.

1.3 Creating a Brand

Once you have worked out your core competencies, brand values, perceived quality and brand stretch, you can communicate them to your customers. Build the message into everything your customer or potential customer sees and hears before they have any direct contact with your business. Make sure your company literature reflects your brand values. If necessary, redesign your logo and company stationery so it provides an immediate visual link to your brand values. (Kenneth A. Fox,Nov-Dec 2002)

For example, if speed is a brand value, add an indication of movement into your company’s designs.Reconsider any advertising you may do. Is it in places that reflect your brand values?

Does the copy reflect your brand values?

Make sure your staff understand the brand values and believe in them. Your staff’s attitude and behaviour will influence the success of your brand more than any promotional activity. Remember that if you make strong customer service a brand value, the brand is damaged if one customer feels that whoever they are talking to doesn’t care about service. Review your systems and make sure every point of contact that a customer or potential customer has reflects your brand values. For example, if being friendly is one of your brand values, make sure anyone who answers the telephone or has direct contact with customers is friendly. (Kenneth A. Fox,Nov-Dec 2002)

1.4 How Much Does a Brand Cost?

How much you can expect to pay for the creation of your brand is the $64,000 question. The answer is that the fee doesn’t have to be astronomical, but it can be depending on who you decide to do business with.

Creating a brand is often a classic case of getting what you pay for. Your cousin may create a name and commensurate logo (without applications like letterhead, signage and packaging) for $500, or you can pay an international identity and branding company $100,000. In theory, that $100,000 should by you higher quality images and plenty of targeted branding theory, but that isn’t always the case. (Kenneth A. Fox,Nov-Dec 2002)

Our recommendation is that emerging companies look for an in-between solution. Look for a company that is experienced in branding small or start-up businesses, and that understands your timing and budget constraints. Reputable firms charge anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000 for a name and logo. You should be thrilled with the product and get terrific results from a firm in this range. (Michael Long et al,June 2007)

Before choosing a branding, naming or identity company, scrutinize its portfolio to make sure their style matches your tastes. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for references-they should be proud to provide them. Call a couple of the references and find out whether they liked working with the firm.

Finally, remember that branding is a serious, long-term investment. If you’re going after or have received outside financing, it should be a line item in your budget. Building a brand is a core business activity, as important as leasing office space, recruiting the right people and developing your product or service. (Michael Long et al,June 2007)

1.5 Finding the Right Branding Company

Companies that create branding and identity are often difficult to distinguish from graphic design firms, but how they go about creating your brand may be much different. There are several important steps to select the right company to help you to brand your new business.

First, ask your contacts which companies they know that specialize in branding. Conduct Internet searches for “naming” and “corporate identity” and “branding.” Think extensively about what types of names and logos appeal to you. Research the firms that created the brands that you most admire. Be aware of the firms’ creative styles. Choose a company with

a track record for unique and original names, not one that has a history of creating coined names. However, don’t go with a highly creative firm if your constituency is very conservative and traditional. (Michael Long et al,June 2007)

Contact a handful of companies and take note of how quickly they get back to you. Do they seem motivated or preoccupied? Is the person who returns your call a partner or a sales representative? Meet with a few different companies and trust the chemistry. If it’s there you will know it; if it’s not, keep looking. Make sure that the person with whom you initially meet? usually a partner or owner – will do, or at least direct, the work. That way they will be personally motivated to produce results for you. (Michael Long et al,June 2007)

Ask each company about its process. How forthcoming are they? Are the representatives willing to talk about their procedures and the steps that they’ll take to create your brand? Make sure you talk about money; they may ask you if you have a projected budget for this project. It’s acceptable for them to ask, but it’s also okay for you to hear first how much it will cost, without disclosing your budget. How quickly do they get back to you with a written proposal? If you agree on Tuesday to work with them and you haven’t heard from them by the end of the week, this might not be a good sign. Again, be smart and go with your instincts.

2.0 Top Branding Mistakes

Branding, a commonly used term throughout the business world, essentially means to create an identifiable entity that makes a promise of value. It means that you have created a consciousness, an image, an awareness of your business. It is your company’s personality. Numerous businesses try, but many fail at creating a successful brand. For more on the definition of a brand, read What Is a Brand?

Here are 10 of the most common mistakes:

1. Not thinking analytically. Too many companies think of branding as marketing or as having a catch phrase or a logo. It is more than simply vying for attention. A brand warrants attention on a consistent basis, represents something that your audience wants but does not get from your competitors. For example, it could be providing the best customer service in your industry – not just through your tagline or logo – by actually providing the best customer service in your industry.

2. Not maintaining your brand. Too often, in a shaky economy, businesses are quick to change or alter their identity. Too much of this confuses your steady customers. For guidance, think of big brands – Nike, for instance, has used “Just Do It” as a logo for years. One rule of thumb is that when you have become tired of your logo, tagline, and branding efforts, that’s when they begin to sink in with customers.

3. Trying to appease everyone. You will never be able to brand yourself in such a way that everyone will like you. Typically the best you can do is to focus on the niche market for your product.

4. Not knowing who you really are. If you are not the fastest overnight delivery service in the world, do not profess to be. Too many business owners think that they are providing something that they don’t. Know your strengths and weaknesses through honest analyses of what you do best.

5. Not fully committing to branding. Often business owners let the marketing and advertising department handle such things as “branding,” while they work on sales and other important parts of the business. But sales and branding are tied together as integral aspects of your business. Many Fortune 500 companies are where they are today because smart branding made them household names.

6. Not sharing the joke. If only the people in your office get a joke, it is not going to play to a large audience. The same holds true for branding. If your campaign is created for you and not “them,” your brand will not succeed.

7. Not having a dedicated marketing plan. Many companies come up with ideas to market themselves and establish a brand identity but have neither the resources nor a plan as to how they will reach their audience. You must have a well-thought out marketing plan in place before your branding strategy will work. For help putting together a marketing plan, see How to Build a Sound Marketing Plan for Your Business.

8. Using too much jargon. Business-to-business-based companies are most guilty of piling on the jargon. From benchmark to strategic partnering to value added, jargon does not benefit branding. If anything, it muddles your message.

9. Trying too hard to be different. Being different for the sake of being different is not branding. Yes, you will be noticed, but not necessarily in a way that increases sales.

10. Not knowing when you have got them. Companies that have succeeded in branding need to know when to stop establishing their brand and when to maintain that which they have established. Monitor the results of your branding campaign. If your small business is a local household word, you can spend more time maintaining your professional image.

2.1 First Steps for developing a brand

Before you develop your brand identity, you have to assess your business, how it operates and the messages that you want to – and are able to – deliver consistently to your customers. You must be realistic right from the start. There are five key areas to consider.

1. Work out your business, product or service’s core competencies. These are what you achieve for your customer, not necessarily what you do. For example, a good wine shop’s core competence is selling wine that its customers enjoy – not just selling wine.

2. Assess who your existing and potential customers are and find out what they like and what they don’t. For example, if they are driven by competitive pricing, there is little point in you presenting yourself as a premium-price supplier of the same products offered by your competitors.

3. Find out how your customers and your employees feel about your business. Reliable? Caring? Cheap? Expensive? Luxurious? No-frills? Later in the process, these emotional responses (brand values) will form the basis of your brand message.

4. Define how favourably your business is viewed by customers and potential customers – this is your perceived quality. Do they trust your business, product or service? Do they know exactly what it does for them? What do they think of when your brand is mentioned to them? Low perceived quality will restrict or damage your business. High perceived quality gives you a platform to grow. (Stephen M. Wigley, et al,July 2005)

5. Consider how far you can develop your business with its current customer perception without moving away from your core competencies. The amount you can change your offer is your brand stretch. For example, a shop known for selling fresh sandwiches could also consider selling homemade cakes and biscuits without going outside its core competencies. But selling frozen ready meals too may stretch its brand too far. (Stephen M. Wigley, et al,July 2005)

2.2 Managing the Brand

A brand will not work instantly – it will develop strength over time as long as your business consistently communicates and delivers your brand values to customers. Keep all your staff involved in your brand and your business. As your staff will be responsible for delivering the brand, they all need to feel a part of it and believe in it. Discuss your brand values regularly with your staff so they are clear about them.(R.E. Rios et al,Jan 2009)

Encourage them to offer suggestions to improve your systems so the brand values can be more easily delivered. Monitor your customers’ response to the brand regularly and continually review how your brand values are communicated to them. Get regular feedback from friendly customers and find out if what your business is doing for them matches the expectation your brand creates. Ask dissatisfied customers or former customers too – you learn useful lessons about your brand through honest criticism. (R.E. Rios et al,Jan 2009)

Regularly review your products, services and systems to make sure they efficiently back up your brand message. For example, if freshness is one of your brand values, are there ways you can deliver the product even more quickly?

Once the brand is developed within your own business and your existing customers, you can use it to attract new customers. Use your core competencies to show the benefits of your business to potential customers. Show what your business can do for them, not just what you do. Make sure every communication with potential customers is also consistent with your brand values. Advertisements and sales literature to potential customers must be visually and emotionally consistent with what you provide to existing customers.

2.3 Extending the Brand

A successful brand can offer opportunities for a business to grow. However, if you are introducing new products or services, you must make sure they are consistent with your existing brand values.

Stretching a brand too far reduces its strength and can damage it. If you are introducing new products or services, consider carefully if they fit with your core competencies and brand values. If they do, brand them in the same way as your existing products and services so they benefit from your existing branding. If they don’t, you should consider branding them separately.

If your new products or services remain within your core competencies but not your brand values, you can consider a diffusion brand. A diffusion brand is a different message with its own identity tied to your existing brand. For example, an insurance company’s core competence is getting things put right after they go wrong. If it introduces a new service that repairs items rather than pays for their replacement, it should be a diffusion brand: the Fixit Service from XYZ Insurance.

Remember that any problems with a diffusion brand will also damage your main brand, so treat the diffusion brand with similar care. If your new products or services fit neither your core competencies nor your brand values, you must brand them separately.

2.4 How Long Will My Brand Last?

Your brand should last as long as you want it to. Barring unforeseen circumstances, such as the sale of your company, a change in leadership, or a major shift in your audience or product offering, your brand is the most important and permanent manifestation of your company and its values. It used to be conventional wisdom that your brand should last 20 years. In the information age, that seems like a long time – and it is. (Tim Ambler et al,July 1996)

Your brand might not last that long because your company might change into something else in months, not years. Still, you shouldn’t plan on changing your brand with any regularity. It takes discipline and vigilance to build and maintain a brand. You want it to work for you in the long haul. In time, it will assume a life of its own that transcends the company itself.

3.0 Conclusions

Having consider all the above mention results if a company wants to stand out in his field and make a distinction between themselves and their competitor there is no cast of shadow that they need a branding to explain an unusual line of business through which earn above average return other wise if they don’t have a dedicated marketing plan they have to lose the market.As you learned you must have a well-thought out marketing plan in place before your branding strategy will work. As a result we found that branding is one of the undeniable segments of our business.

Our Top 38 Political Agenda

(A series of modest proposals)

“The art of politics is to make the impossible, possible.”

Critical-

1. To re-instill an atmosphere of peace and tranquility throughout the land.

2. To enforce all of the laws uniformly on all Americans and to provide sufficient means for legal redress of grievances.

3. To strengthen and train our law enforcement officers and our military to adapt to 21st century realities.

4. To bring known conspirators, traitors, and criminal leaders to justice.

5. To stop all forms of domestic, foreign, and international terrorism.

6. To abolish all forms of sex trafficking, human trafficking, and child labor in the United States.

National-Government

7. To reform all governments- (RE: Government Streamlining, Accountability, Cost-Efficiencies, & Performance Metrics)

a. Governments can and should adopt the practices and policies of the private business sector to the extent feasible. This includes the concepts and techniques of marketing, sales, customer service, advertising, human resources, inventory control, property management, capital (long-term) planning and budgeting, finance, and investments.

b. All too often individual agencies have overlapping responsibilities, entrenched bureaucrats, and underutilized employees. For this reason, similar agencies must be combined, intransigent agency heads must be replaced, and redundant employees let go.

c. A market analysis and cost-benefit study must be conducted before the roll-out of a government funded program; and throughout the life of the program customer satisfaction surveys must be done. Programs where demand has dramatically shrunk, when the satisfaction and expectations of the program’s participants are not being met, or when the costs far exceed the benefits will either be redesigned or scrapped.

1) Every effort will be made to transition the participants of a defunded program to a comparable funded program.

d. Performance metrics for all departments, divisions, agencies, bureaus, and staff can and should be implemented. Even the most esoteric social services program can be evaluated against a set of performance metrics. Annual, semi-annual, or quarterly performance reviews can and should be completed by and for all departments, divisions, agencies, bureaus, and employees by the immediate overseeing supervisor. This measure of accountability will be applied to the lowest grade worker up to the Cabinet level. All government workers, including political appointees, can and will be fired if they fail 3 performance reviews in a year.

e. A short formal appeal process is available to terminated employees; small awards, bonuses, promotions, or public service commendations will be given to employees who outperform and exceed all performance review criterion.

f. All outdated laws and regulations will be voided.

g. Taskforces, work groups etc., with limited goals and objectives will be sun-stetted upon the completion of their goals.

h. Outdated, worn, scrapped, or abandoned property and equipment must be disposed of in the private market at a reasonable price. All old, outdated, or buggy computers, servers, I.T. equipment, software, and accessories must be replaced by the newest or next newest equipment or software. This system-wide replacement and upgrading of government equipment will be awarded to the top 2-3 U.S. manufacturers on a competitive bid basis.

1) Inasmuch the government is a non-profit entity, and cannot show a profit perse, practices and procedures geared toward saving money, cutting costs, exercising fiscal responsibility, and returning money to the Treasury are not precluded. For this reason, policies aimed at repairing, recycling, reusing, saving time, money, and energy shall be encouraged. Practices, procedures, and measures of cost-controls, precise budget analysis, inventory control, and assessing the effective life-span of the product will be followed.

8. To balance the budget as realistically as possible.

9. To pay down the national debt as realistically as possible.

10. To amend the tax code so that everyone pays the same percentage of gross income.

11. To promote the idea of “customer user fees” wherever and whenever feasible, practical, and reasonable.

12. To phase out Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare slowly gradually and methodically over a 10-20-year period and replace them with self-directed or employer directed government backed securities with fixed incomes, premiums, payments, etc. Heath Savings Accounts, etc. can and should be used in place of Medicare premiums.

13. To merge/combine all federal retirement plans, programs, and agencies into one Federal Retirement Agency. This will include military, civil service, foreign service, railroad workers, forest service, public health service and other federal retirement programs for specific groups of people.

Areas of Major Spending-

14. To develop a cost-effective and honest health care system.

a. A sizable health care regulatory agency must be established with enforcement powers to curtail the widespread abuse and dishonesty prevalent throughout the current health care systems

1) The major problem of health care systems, past and present, is the proclivity of all of its participants (including doctors and patients) to lie, exaggerate, and embellish the facts.

2) No system can survive and succeed when most people involved are dishonest.

15. To reform the criminal justice system including the police, courts, prisons, parole, probation, related law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and other related facilities.

16. To provide Affordable Housing to those who cannot easily purchase a home. The exact placement, size, composition, style, and location for the construction of affordable housing will be left to the local community to decide. To provide low-cost equitable loans to married couples qualifying as first time home buyers.

17. To rebuild the nation’s infrastructure including freeways, highways, truck routes, bridges, tunnels, canals, ports, waterways, airports, water systems, dams, railroads, the electric power grid, all public buildings, and to provide for the development of public transport.

18. To relocate the residents of pre-WWII public housing into temporary housing, demolish all dilapidated public housing, and build new sustainable medium quality public housing for all poor and low-income families.

International Relations & Foreign Policy-

19. To assure friend and foe alike on the international scene that we will not interfere in the domestic affairs of another country. We will honor all existing treaties and agreements if they are in our best interest to do so. Treaties, agreements, that are not in the best interest of the United States &/or put the United States at a severe disadvantage, will at the appropriate time, be opened for renegotiation or annulment.

a. Treaties, agreements, codicils etc., which came into being by Executive Order and without the consent of Congress will be reviewed, voided, or sent to Congress for formal adoption.

20. To promote, support, encourage the concept of a territorial imperative. In furtherance of this we hold that the individual sovereignty of each nation-state is inviolate and of a high order.

a. We will respect, protect, and enforce the concept of national borders, boundaries, and demarcation lines.

21. To work with multi-lateral, regional, and international organizations for the maintenance and defense of an interdependent world order. This type of world order is founded on the laws of each nation-state as well as a series of international laws that stipulate the rights and responsibilities of each of the actors. In place of direct foreign aid, we will donate/contribute funds, supplies, people, equipment, and services to other countries on an as need basis and through IGOs and NGOs. In addition to promoting the principle of a fair open democracy based on a popular vote for elected officials whenever and wherever reasonable and practical, we will support genuine efforts to alleviate hunger, disease, poverty, abuse, and the aftereffects of disaster throughout the world.

a. Since this is primarily a description of a political world order, it does not directly address the international economic scene or the advance of global trade. We assert that the responsibility for the economic well-being of each and every nation state lies within its own economy and will be managed by its own national government. On the one hand, large multinational corporations, financial institutions, strategic alliances etc., can and do affect the economy of nation-states; but on the other hand, we must guard against the unwarranted encroachment of private businesses into other country’s domestic affairs. We recommend that if a company or business has a major and direct effect on a foreign country’s economy, then it should also have a lawful and abiding interest in its culture, morays, and customs.

1) While the U.S. government can act as an intermediary in resolving international political and economic disputes, and enforces applicable U.S. Customs regulations, it will not interfere with the local laws, practices, or customs of other nation-states.

National-Political Reform

22. To create rules of conduct and ethics for all prospective candidates. A thorough background check will be conducted before each political party’s national convention of all of the finalists including criminal civil, financial, and political improprieties. Candidates will be forbidden to accept funds or make pledges/agreements with foreign governments, agencies, parties, or businesses before, during, or after their campaigning.

a. Prospective candidates with a proven long-term track record of unsavory or criminal behavior will be barred from running for public office.

b. Muck-racking, rumor mongering, candidate character assassination, the bribing or cajoling of a “witness” cannot and will not be tolerated. Unsubstantiated stories that are published under the guise of factual reporting will be prohibited. Individuals, companies, or organizations that create, publish, or disseminate prejudicial reports/articles will be fined or sentenced up to 20 years in prison. In short, publishing damaging and false news is a crime.

c. A moratorium/blackout period on presidential coverage will be put into effect on the news media 48 hours prior to election day.

d. Every effort will be made to improve the accuracy, time involved, and the efficiency of tabulating voters’ ballots throughout the country.

23. To impede, curtail, restrict the influences of special interest groups, lobby groups, and PACs of all kinds in the nation and states’ political processes. A procedure will be developed that puts lobbyists, etc., at arm’s length from elected officials.

24. To overturn Citizen’s United.

Services & Programs-

25. To promote and fund technical training at the high school and secondary school level.

26. In view of enormous unemployment, underemployment, part-time, seasonal, and temporarily employed population; trends that leave most Americans scrapping by, we will curtail current immigration as much as possible. All current immigrants will be afforded a pathway to citizenship &/or an opportunity to repatriate to the home country. Any employer who knowingly and willingly hires illegal immigrants will be sentenced to 8 years in jail. We will not deport illegal immigrants unless they have committed a crime within the past two years.

27. To explore and develop all forms of energy with an emphasis on developing the local energy sources that best fit the resources and needs of the local community, city, or state.

28. To address poverty, crime, hunger, homelessness, and sickness in a wise, impartial, and humane manner.

29. To address unhealthy and counterproductive demographic trends in the United States.

30. To listen carefully to the American people, seek the guidance and wisdom of the Almighty, and to closely consider the desire outcome, its implications and repercussions before making a policy decision. To achieve a balance in all areas of public life.

Education, Media, & Internet-

31. We are now in an era of overwhelming news and information, and the public can no longer discern fact from fiction. In view of the explosion of media outlets, on-line and print commentaries and the reprehensible behavior of many journalists, bloggers, reporters, columnists, and commentators we will begin monitoring and censuring those individuals and organizations that falsify, distort, lie, and manufacture rumors and wild speculation. This will be done by an impartial panel of journalistic experts trained in ethics and the laws governing Free Speech.

a. The current high level of distrust and animosity of the American people is/has been exacerbated by blatantly irresponsible news reportage and commentary.

b. Since the bedrock of our American democracy is an informed and enlightened public, this rule is endangered when the public is misinformed, confused, and misunderstanding.

c. Barring any strict enforceable code of ethics from the industry the government must set policy expectations for all those employed in the field and punish those who distort the truth.

32. To establish an Internet Enforcement Agency to investigate and bring charges against individuals, agencies, foreign governments, or businesses that engage in cyber-crime, child porn, identity theft in addition to a dozen other internet crimes. The IEA will work in conjunction with law enforcement, the intelligence community, and the military to track down and apprehend national and international cyber-criminals. In addition, the IEA will work with them to detect, monitor, and thwart spying, surveillance, hacking, and denial of service by foreign governments, their agents, or private parties. Finally, the IEA will work with private industry to monitor, track, and apprehend individuals and companies responsible for malware, viruses, and other unwarranted applications or fixes installed within computers that are intrusive, harmful, annoying, and mischievous.

33. Educational Reform-To encourage, promote, support, and fund conservative teachers, researchers, and academians in the nation’s high schools, colleges, and universities. Publicly funded schools must achieve a balance between liberal-minded and conservative-minded teachers, professors, faculty, and senior administrative staff whenever possible. Presently, about 90% of all those employed in the field of education are of a liberal mind. Qualified but conservative minded candidates have been barred from employment through a selective recruiting process. This has led to a less than objective approach to all subject matter.

34. To rewrite all current textbooks- In conjunction with the prevalence of liberal left-wing academians, we’ve observed that most of the textbooks written in the last thirty years have taken a clearly contrarian view of society, both here in the United States and globally. Theories, studies, reports, and the fundamental assumptions of life eschew the positive, rational, or healthy precepts of humanity instead they reveal a distasteful, drab, and pessimistic approach to their subject matter. As if to throw off or reject hundreds of years of thought and study, the authors of college texts in use today adhere to a dogmatic philosophy of socialism, feminism, revolution, secularism, and liberation. By teaching such a narrow-minded ideological perspective, the student is deprived of a truly liberal education when he/she is allowed to wonder and ponder all of the possibilities. Perhaps, theories in general have outlived their usefulness, but in either case, students who are unable to see the pros and the cons to every argument cannot be well-balanced and reasonable thinkers. For example, almost every textbook in the broad range of social sciences emphasizes racial and economic inequality as the primary problem of life. Subsequently, the student is indoctrinated to the radical concepts of white male privilege, hidden discrimination, sexism, and a host of suddenly discovered phobias. The student is then persuaded that all of society’s problems can quickly and completely be eliminated through violent revolution. It would be much to their alarm to find out that there have always been social problems of one type or another. In our opinion, there can be no wisdom but only foolishness and danger in this unenlightened and evil pedagogy.

a. Professors, teachers, researchers, or other employed in the field of education who distort or under report the facts, falsify their research data, teach, publish, or promote a patently misleading book, study, report, or publication will be severely disciplined. Barring an enforceable code of ethics by educational authorities, the government will censure, fine, and/or void the academician’s credentials when they knowingly and willingly distort the truth.

35. To hold teachers accountable, perform performance reviews, and terminate teachers who consistently show poor academic achievement of their students over 2 ½ years.

Minor-

36. To abolish the predatory practices of time-share re-sellers or brokers. All time share owners must be given the opportunity to sell or forfeit his/her time share unit back to the management company with agreeable terms.

Other- Constitutional Amendment(s)-

37. To reestablish the connection between religion and state. A government devoid of all moral, ethical, spiritual, or religious principles and beliefs does not have a firm foundation; no guiding light, and consequentially is immoral and baseless. However, there shall be no official state religion. Matters of great weight shall be discussed openly but in a somber tone and a consensus of the entire body must prevail.

a. Each citizen has the right to adhere to the religion of their own choosing providing such religious practice does not interfere with the religious rights of others, and is not treasonous, criminal, barbaric, or satanic. No one will be forced, coerced, bullied, threatened, or ridiculed to adopt a religion not of their own choosing.

b. A dispute over the infringement of a religious practice will be resolved in a court of law providing the jurors and court officials are trained in resolving religious disputes equitably.

c. Within the public arena, politicians and elected officials shall not attempt to evangelize but merely state the core belief or principle at stake. A polite, civil, and mannerly discourse shall follow and the stronger most constructive argument shall prevail.

d. We believe that most major religions contain similar moral precepts, hence from a public policy perspective, disagreements over major religious principles should not happen.

e. Government(s) shall not promulgate rules for religious worship or in any way restrict the expression of sound healthy religious beliefs. Only broad religious concepts can be applied to broad areas of public policy.

f. If legislators, public policy makers, and those involved in enforcing the law do not feel qualified or are unable to intelligently articulate their own religious beliefs in addition to understanding the beliefs and concepts of other religions, the above item shall be struck in its entirety.

38. To seek fair, reasonable, realistic, and balanced compromises on: a) gun control, b) pro-life vs. pro-choice, c) climate change, d) nuclear proliferation and arms control.

Social Media Advantage For Brands

Social media has become mainstream and as someone said: every media becoming social. I always think some brands and their attitudes to social media, content marketing, management. It is clear from every angle, except from view, that most brands are overlooking the “social” in front of the social media. This is what sets social media apart from other kinds of media. To excel in social media, you begin with cultivating a social media mindset. Most have not understood what this platform offers.

All that we are currently doing is majorly titled toward social media abuse which is based on advertising and shameless ego promotion. This affects corporate brands more though.

Most have concentrated mainly on mainstream traditional media. They have neglected or can we say they are unaware that the only way to survive in this time is a two-way communication media which embraces not only the traditional but online media platform. As we know, the current trend today is for brands to first learn about their brides-customers, get their attention through the use of social media platforms like blogging, Youtube, Xing, Facebook, Del.ici.ous, Bookmarking, RSS, Podcasting, videocasting, Wikis among many other available online media.

The evolution of these new media has opened up opportunity to seek opinion, interact, court, date and offers irresistible proposal that will hook the bride. Today customers are no longer buying one mode fits all offer by the traditional media. Some corporate brands here seem to hinge non-participation in online community building on such excuses that we are not yet online, neither are there recognized consumer fora which have major convergence of consumers online. Also no regulatory authority here pays attention to or gives any attention to whatever they have to say can. They also claim that online forums here have no impacts on corporate performance. Some also claim that social media is alien to us. My answer is that social media is not alien. The fact remains that many things had been part of us only that we do not accurately labeled them until the westerners help us out.

The idea of social media, content marketing is rooted in cultural rituals where a couple gets engaged before they could start dating. The process require that suitor’s intention has to be established through family contacts, integrity checked and a cogent promised is made that he is interested in a serous relationship and not flings. Without these background checks, no one officially allows the intending couple to start dating. If this is violated then, the bride to be would be disciplined.

Drawing a parallel in this ancient ritual, the customers want the brand today to show that what matters is her, not money making. The customers want to be sure that out of arrays of suitors-products, services- your brand can take the initiative of starting a conversation, the customer wants to be sure your brand is not just flirting, looking out for short flings but a real relationship that will enhance her lifestyle. Brand through social media, content and social marketing set up a bate by loading the right words in their contents to convince, educate, entertain the bride that they are out to make her life better even before selling anything.

Customer wants to see how much of your intellectual property will be made available without charges. The customer wants to find out you are a giver. One of their love languages is gift sharing. A giver without string attached always takes the show. Social media, content marketing requires a lot of commitment. It takes time before social media and content marketing make huge impact. Any brand that can show high level of commitment in social media will always carry the day.

Typical case studies of brands with efficient use of social media include Tony Hseih. Tony followers in Twitter today is over one forty million. Hseih is the managing Director of Zappos.com. Tony through his ‘tweet’ has course to meet with customers at a bar while many in his position will rather hide under the guise of busy schedule. Tony uses Twitter to build interaction with customers; he uses twitter to solve problems for clients. The strength of Tony Hseih and Zappos communities has been used to strengthen relationships with Zappo’s brand offline. Zappos client freely gives their ideas on what they want. This aids, leads to co- creation of brands products, services.

As busy as Richard Branson of Virgin group is, he also maintains a twitter account. He has used his twitter account to answer questions from angry customers as well as virgin potentials. The virgin group also has an integrated website that allows news update, blog among others. Southwest Airlines has used social media to build strong connection that impacts on the brand’s offline interaction

A good example of the use of social media to spread messages and connection was recently demonstrated by Michael Jackson’s personal doctor. As we are all aware, it was once insinuated that he killed Michael Jackson through drug overdose. About a week ago, he used YouTube video to spread his part of the case. This video spread across the internet as well as mainstream media. Popularity of virtual community has been soaring high with more people paying attention from academics and marketing communications practitioner discussing it in advance countries, yet Nigeria brands have assumed ‘I do not care attitude’. Nations and brands are not considered backward just because of their location but based on attitudes, disposition to the use of technology that will aid progress. Building emotional connection, loyalty with the brand is becoming an easy thing through social media.

Social media has become a great platform to identify with, interact, communicate brand element. This often starts in online forum and lead to offline beneficial relationship. Today, nearly three billion of the seven billion potentials are now connected in social media platforms. Agreed the ratio is still slow here but the number is increasing daily. Through social media brands can ignite confidence in the hearts of the bride, build thought leadership. Your brand competitors may have better product, services but will surely lose out to you if you can build strong connection with them before you ask them to buy through massive advertisement.

If your brand can give away enough information, answers to concerns and prove that you are on the verge of seriously neglecting your own best interest, of tight schedules, in order to serve these greedy, needy brides that desire your brands become more open, honest with them which is the essence of social media. Social media do not allow cover ups, unnecessary protection of corporate brand’s failures. I am of the opinion that if our banking industry’s Managing Directors have been active in social media, there is possibility of gaining public sympathy instead of this anger, tantrum they are now receiving from various angles. Their followers would have been able to defend them and take appropriate position that may have given them soft landing in this trying period.

Since our brands have concentrated on one form of media, mainstream, tell me why should their brides not block out their useless bragging through advertising? Tell me why is it difficult for brands n our environment to see handwriting on the wall that their brides now desire their authentic voices that are not coloured with jargons of self- serving moneybags? The brands’ brides are now also afraid; skeptical of marketing. Why should the brides be loyal when the element of trust is shaking?

Having established that let us now examine proper way of participating in social media which is now being exchanged for web.2.0. For brands to actively participate in social media, brands need to observe, listen, find clients’ hibernating medium. In doing this, brand should first define its social media strategy through careful evaluation of brand’s resources, analyze the target audience, and identify objectives. Having done this, brand must carefully pick or access platforms that fit their goals. This will inform the decision to run a blog or just to participate in other forums like Twitter, Facebook, discussion board, social media bookmarking, stumbleupon among others. Be sure you know that such platforms are used by your niche audience. Identify the top influencers of your industry online through recognitions given to their opinions, comments, awards etc.

To do this effectively, brand may consider creating the position of community or social media/knowledge management manager or hire consultant who has track records in skills like community management, online reputation management, monitoring, tracking, podcast, video cast, web links etc. These skills do not require a programmer’s knowledge and in actual fact, they are used by customer relations, brand, and Public relations experts. The only requirement is passion that is backed with proven results. The said manger or consultant must also understands forum rules, reputation software, know how to distribute contents without creating offense as this may be counter productive. Great ability to create qualitative content for blogs, create profiles and claim such blogs in online directories is also essential. Social media, content marketing, management is seen as collection of open-sourced, interactive and user- controlled online application used to expand the experiences, knowledge and market power of the users as participants in business and social processes, the social media landscape is basically about conversation before any marketing campaign.

Brands must therefore consider Rajesh Setty’s suggestion that it must demonstrate that your brand cares, is curious to find out what is the concern of the customers, contribute, make sure the content is worth their attention, clarify issues, build conversation that will lead to strong relationship, bring in a lot of creativity, demonstrate the brand’s character and values cherished, build community, tribe, brings change, instill courage and be highly commitment to a cause its believe in.

Let me conclude this piece by highlighting how brand can start participate in social media and content marketing. Content marketing is an art of understanding what your customers’ want, need to know and the science of delivering it to them in a useful and compelling way. The content has to be engaging in a useful and compelling way. To start, the brand has to build trust and credibility. This is huge work. This becomes easy if your brand can take time to listen to customers first. By that brand discovers their problems and the content is therefore tailored to provide solution.

Avoid talking too much about your brand or your expertise as much as I do know the fact that your brand need to establish the line that your brand is worth their attentions. This can make your brand’s efforts become suspect. Your customers want educational content without initial marketing spin. The content also has to be compelling, entertaining to earn the scarcest entity on the wed- time/patience. Great content must guides, clarifies, enlightened and connect. The language of the content has to be in tune with your industry. Contents that solve problems drive traffic and increases sale rate.

Social media and content marketing make your clients see your brand as unique resource, trusted advisor and a brand that makes them look good. This will make them to gladly exchange their money and loyalties for your commitment to the relationship. When you have so much to give, they will not wait to tell others about your brand. There are some other factors that come into play here but let us conclude today’s piece by saying that brand has several opportunities when it annexes the two way communication of mainstream and evolution of new media.

How to Advertise on the Radio and Make a Ton of Profits

So many profit seekers are hacking at internet-marketing these days. It’s so easy to forget that marketing is marketing. Every medium has power. Billboard advertising has its advantages. Post cards have power. Business cards have some power. (I once did a mailing and sent out three business cards in an envelope. No letter. No explanation. I got a whopping response off that mailing. Curiosity got them. They called in bundles asking “Why am I getting this card?” My only failure was not having a prepared sales script ready to make a pitch. I forgot why we did the mailing. It was years ago. But we got a surprising response.)

Anyway… I’m writing to give you some ideas on radio advertising. Radio is an overlooked darling in the marketing mix. Radio has a loyal following. Radio is intimate. Radio is immediate.

Here are my random thoughts on radio advertising.

1. Use 60-second spots. 30’s and 15’s are too short to do any real selling. If you can get them, use 120 seconds.

2. Be human and make mistakes. My example is the old Paul Harvey ads. Mr. Harvey would pause, sta… sta…stutter and sound very earnest when he was endorsing this or that product.

3. If you’re going to follow my advice, avoid “donuts”. Donuts are radio spots with music at the beginning and the end, and your message in the middle. The companies who use donuts mostly do not measure RESPONSE. If they measured response they’d know that the music at the beginning and end is the equivalent of white space in your print ads. White space sells nothing. In your print advertising you want to want to pack your ad with convincing copy. Over the years I’ve collected many ads that were mostly white space. For fun. I even have one ad from the NY Times that was ALL WHITE SPACE except for the address of the seller in the middle of the ad. No name of the company. No message. No offer. No convincing. No reason to pause. No reason to reflect. No reason to slip a check under the door… no matter what the address of the business was. The creators of the ad, were full of themselves. But buyers could care less about you the seller. They only care about what’s in it for them. So… fill your radio ad with persuasive, convincing REASON WHY copy. Don’t waste your money on music. Let the radio station supply the music. Your job is to convince the listener to stop what he’s doing and change the course of his/her life and buy what you’re selling.

4. Make sure you MEASURE your response. Ask the listener to do something RIGHT NOW. Call this toll free number NOW. Go to this web site NOW. Write down this number NOW. Mention this offer code x889. Etc.

5. Identify yourself at the beginning of the ad. Listeners want to know who is speaking to them. It also implies authority.

6. Preach BENEFITS in your ad. Benefits are different than the FEATURES. You need some features to make the benefits they get believable. But BENEFITS are the key to getting response.

7. Don’t try to be too cute, clever or funny. People don’t buy from clowns. They buy from serious presenters who present a deal that will really give them an advantage in their lives.

8. If the people at the radio station tell you your ad is good. Kill the ad. They are so used to hearing it all, that they typically think an ad that is funny, clever or cute…is the winner. NO. NO. NO. You want your ad to be INVISIBLE. If people say yours is a good ad, you’re in trouble. Instead, you want people to hear the ad and say “Wow, that sounds like a good product/service.” If you can make the PRODUCT or SERVICE shine… you ad becomes invisible. You can get the wrong kind of attention. You’re goal is seven-fold: To (1) Attract and (2) Hold the (3) Favorable (4) Attention of the (5) Right Kind of people (buyers) while a (6) Selling Story is told and a (7) Desired Reaction is induced. It’s not to entertain.

9. Identify your buyers right at the beginning. “If you’re a home owner, listen up… I’ve got good news for you.” Or… “If you’re looking to supplement your income, here is a tested, proven way to make money in today’s tough economic world.” Etc.

10. Use enthusiasm. You cannot bore people into listening and buying from you. If you’re excited about your product or service, let your excitement shine.

11. If you want to know WHICH station(s) to advertise on… go to the local car wash. People will tell you they listen to this station or that station… because people say one thing but actually do another. But if you go to a car wash, you can grab some towel wipes and wipe down the inside of their car. While sitting there, turn on the radio. You’ll see for yourself exactly what people are listening to the most. A surprising number of people listen to talk radio. The Rush Limbaugh stations are hot and have been for a long time.

12. Negotiate the price. Some radio stations will do “Per-Inquiry” ads. But you have to have a track record of paying off on those deals. Or be associated with a legit inbound call center that tracks inquiries and sales. Also, remember that a radio only has TIME to sell. And if they don’t fill those spots, they can never recover that lost income potential. They will negotiate. I often say… “What do you want for 5 spots a day for 10 days?” … and they say “$X amount.” Then I say, “I was thinking only half that amount… what if we meet in the middle?” You goal is to make a profit. Not to profit the radio stations. Know your numbers. If you sell a product for say $100… you need to sell at least one product for every $100 dollars of advertising expenditures. You’ll be losing money, but know your numbers. Most companies loose money on the “front end” when they market a product or service. But they make it up in spades on the “back end”. The “back end” is when a one-time buyer becomes a multiple buyer. Know your numbers.

13. Test in small markets. Roll out in larger markets. You can buy radio time in small towns like Beaver, Utah… or Clinton, N.C. for $5 or $10 bucks a spot. Bigger towns demand $100 to $400 a spot.

14. Mix your radio with other media. Even with a 60-seond ad, you’ll likely need to do more convincing. Have your telephone people ready with a prepared, convincing script. Drive them to your website. Tell them to watch their mail for a special offer from you.

15. If you’re going to do radio in mass… slightly change your message around so the listener won’t shut you out. Perhaps you’ve read about Broca’s area of the brain. If things get too predictable this is the area of the brain that gets bored and seeks something new and more entertaining. By slightly changing your message every other ad, the brain says “wait… didn’t I hear that differently before?” They suddenly become more engaged.

16. Use celebrities if appropriate. There are lots of actors and actresses who are out of work. If you can find one that fits your target audience… or fits your product model, a celebrity can boost response.

Hope these ideas help. If you want to talk, my contact information is below.

\”Negotiator – They Will Fight Back But Will They Conquer” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

He realized he’d be entering into a tough situation. In past interactions, verbal fights had broken out within this group. And tensions had frayed. Those frayed tensions led to increasing distrust amongst those discussing the proposed resolution.

Anticipating how someone might respond to an offer or proposal is something that you should always consider. Why? Because it impacts how you and they will interact. Thus, if you’ve had conflicts in the past, and nothing’s been done to address them satisfactorily, more than likely, they’ll fight you in the future.

The following is information you can use to plan, control, and dissuade others from attempting to conquer you. It’s a thought process that every good negotiator considers. And when someone fights to overcome your efforts, it’s insightful information that will arm you to combat them.

Planning

  • Fight/Flight/Stand Still
    • Before engaging in any forum, assess what occurred in prior encounters with its participating members. That history reflection will provide insights about the developments that might arise in your upcoming meeting with them. It also allows you the time to plan the actions and reactions you’ll promote to enhance your position.

In particular, consider whether you want the next encounter to end in a stalemate (you’re marking time to become stronger), you want the opposition to flee the potential conflict, recognizing your strength is too powerful for them to combat (be mindful of how you cast yourself – this may cause your opponents to seek greater power by building stronger coalitions), you’re going to fight for future positioning or as a means to get closer to its end.

  • Strategy
    • You should develop an approach based on what’s occurred in the past, the outcome that arose from using that plan, how those you engaged during that session reacted, and to what degree new players will enter into the upcoming activities. Taking into account those factors will allow you to shape the tactics you’ll develop to create and employ the best strategy.

  • Who are you
    • Another thought to consider is, who are you? That question answers the characteristics you possess. Some people can’t or won’t engage in some activities because it may be outside of their moral bearings. Having insight about your ethical boundaries will help you determine how far you’ll go to seek an outcome that may be crossing a line. Make the same assessment of those that you’ll be meeting.

Improvement

  • Interactions
    • Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t get what you wanted, and yet you still felt good about the outcome? Even if you haven’t had that experience, that’s the emotional state you want to instill in others that deal with you. Leave them feeling that they walked away with something that they’re proud to have achieved.

The way you accomplish that feeling lies in how you deal with people. In some situations, you don’t want to appear stubborn, dogmatic, or immobile. In the wrong condition, people will detest you. But in the right circumstances, such a demeanor will aid in fostering the persona needed to back those that pose threats away from you. So, be aware of how you project your persona and make sure it matches the outcome you’re seeking. Doing so will prevent future consternation that might impede future progress.

  • Framing
    • Framing occurs when you control the narrative of a conversation. And, by framing an interaction in a particular manner, you control the discussion and the flow of the communication.
    • Outcome – No matter the outcome, think about how you’ll frame it so that it appears to be beneficial to your position.
    • Opponents – Think about how you’ll frame the opponents that have engaged you during and after an interaction. You can position them in a positive or negative light, depending on how you wish others to view them. The choice you make should depend on how you want them to interact with you going forward.

  • Future Interactions
    • Other players – When considering how you’ll improve future situations, consider who might become aligned with whom. That’ll impact the chances of future success for you and them. There may exist the opportunity to use their alliances to your advantage.

Reflections

In answering the question, they will fight back but will they conquer, the answer is, it depends. It depends on the variables that you identify and address that will influence the outcome of a meeting – and how successful you are in developing a plan that accurately addresses those variables. The point is, you’ll have more control of any encounter if you plan for it appropriately. Once you do, you’ll be less likely to be conquered in your engagements… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#Fight #Conquer #Negotiations #Control #Conversations #NegotiationStrategies #NegotiationProcess #NegotiationSkillsTraining #NegotiationExamples #NegotiationTypes #ReadingBodyLanguage #BodyLanguage #Nonverbal #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #negotiation examples #Negotiation strategies #negotiation process #negotiation skills training #negotiation types #negotiation psychology #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

What Is The Goal Of Negotiation

When people are asked what negotiation is, they would immediately say, “win-win”. But win-win is not the definition of negotiation, it is its goal. So yes, the purpose of negotiation is to give both parties the chance to lobby their proposals and all end-up winners at the end of the negotiation process. A good business person will tell you that negotiation is not a chance for you to hustle or low-ball other people. When you have this in mind from the get-go, your reputation will be negatively affected in the long run. Ultimately, your business will suffer too.

The Plan

Before you start the negotiation process, it’s important that you have a good plan. This will serve as your road map that will help you successfully arrive to your destination. It basically gives you an idea about the best ways to achieve your goal.

The win-win agreement

Like I’ve said, this is the ultimate goal of negotiation-a win-win agreement. In order for you to achieve this, a good plan is needed. The plan should include the strategies and tactics that you’ll employ in order for you to achieve your goal.

To be clearer about what you need to do before you enter into any type of negotiation, here are 4 steps that will serve as your guideline:

1. You need to define your goals and objectives – by setting your goals and objectives, you’ll be constantly reminded why you’re negotiating in the first place. You’ll be able to design good strategies and tactics that are relevant to these goals and that will help you achieve them.

There are many people who don’t do this that’s why they get lost during the process of negotiation and end-up at the losing end.

2. Learn more about the business or the person that you’re going to negotiate with. Don’t forget to include the market and the competition. You have to cover your bases.

3. Identify the strategies that you’ll employ.

4. Identify the tactics that you’ll employ – if you have plan A, have plan B and plan C as well.

Here are more tips on how to negotiation:

1. Focus on the problem – you don’t want to go personal with the people you’re dealing with. The best way to get a win-win agreement is to focus on the problem at hand and not at the people you’re dealing with. By doing this, you’re able to do business with them without ruining your relationship with the other party.

2. Understand their motive or bargaining position – Do they have a hidden agenda? Sometimes, you have to go beyond what you hear. Try to analyze things.

3. Alternatives – if you can’t agree on the initial proposal, try to think about other options that is amenable to both parties.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

So you’ve found your voice as a change agent – you’ve gotten your hearing, you’ve persuaded senior management, and now the organization is ready to roll. My question: are you ready for your first big surprise?

I’m asking that question because an organization’s irrational resistance to change can quickly flip into an equally irrational embrace, a big surprise that’s does not bode well.

For example, let’s say what your company needs is $2 million worth of transformation to reach a new, achievable plateau. Once persuaded, your CEO could easily decide to go “all in” (with the entire company wishlist) and shoot for an unachievable plateau that will cost $6 million. The CEO could trumpet this bold initiative to staff, customers, and even investors. And you could be the one holding the bag.

Are you happy now?

The challenge for you is that the skills you used to gain support (vision and articulate persuasion) are not the skills you need once you have it (expectations management and executive control). The latter are skills of a higher order, and they are not as likely to be part of your repertoire.

As absurd as this scenario may sound, it happens all the time. When executive egos and corporate identity get involved, very powerful forces are unleashed. I have personal experience with this scenario, and the only way to describe it is “out of control”.

With these risks in mind, I’m going to offer you a rule to follow before you start persuading in the first place:

When instigating change, never rely on a proxy!

What does this mean? Well, in the scenario I’ve presented, if you are trying to influence the CEO for major change, I’m suggesting you do not rely on your supervisor. Yes, you will need your supervisor’s support. And your supervisor may provide you initial access to the CEO. But you do not want your supervisor (or their supervisors) controlling your access to the CEO.

If you can’t develop a good, direct business relationship with the CEO around the change you’re thinking of proposing, I suggest you keep your proposal under your hat. Even if you feel you have trusted allies, their aid will not be sufficient when the elephant awakens, and they have other fish to fry. If you are the visionary, it is you who must have the relationship, because only you have both the passion and position to collaborate with the CEO to adapt the vision in a way that manages their expectations and helps them save face.

Successful change depends as much on managing the momentum of the power brokers as it does on disturbing their inertia. Whether you actively aspire to be a change agent, or just find yourself cast in that role (as I did), you’ll find that developing a close relationship with power makes the difference between success and failure.

Are Simultaneous Submissions a Good Idea?

With regards to the question of simultaneous submissions, I fear I may not be able to offer a set answer. As a publisher, I am not enamored by the thought of an author sending me a manuscript that is currently floating among several other slush piles. However, as an author, I am tempted to cast a wide net for my book and hope somebody bites. The thought of waiting for one publisher to pass on a book before sending it to another editor can be daunting for authors, particularly if a favored publisher takes a year to decide.

I have read stories of books that were rejected by one publisher years after they had been accepted and published elsewhere. It is funny to read, yes, but when one looks at simultaneous submissions from two different perspectives – as I have the ability to do – one will know that there may be serious repercussions to violating the wishes of a publisher or editor. As with any aspect of the publishing industry, there are pros and cons to sending out a book to several publishers at once, and there are things authors must know about publishers before they submit.

In addition to producing quality fiction and non-fiction in eBook, trade and/or hardcover format, a book publisher is ultimately in the business of selling books and making money. In order to stay in business, the publisher must be judicious in selecting which manuscripts are to be included in their catalogs. Depending on one’s budget, a publisher may offer anywhere from five titles a year to five titles a week. Consequently, the rate at which a publisher reads through and evaluates manuscripts may vary according to their publication schedule. Normally a publisher will advertise in its submission guidelines how long an author should wait for an answer, yet there are always circumstances that may arise and force delays.

As an author, I can relate with others who want answers now, so that they may either prepare for publication or ready the manuscript to send to another prospect. I have also learned, too, that impatience can backfire on an author. Once, given the choice between submitting a story as part of an anthology or submitting it solo to another publisher, I chose the latter because I wanted to see the story published. Long story short, the latter publisher folded, and the anthology was accepted and published without my story. My work remains unpublished. Sometimes it pays to be patient.

It is acceptable with most publishers to send a query after a sufficient amount of time has passed. If, for example, a publisher advertises turn-around within 120 days, a message after that time period may alert you to the status of your manuscript. As to whether or not it is acceptable to submit to several publishers at once, here are a few things to consider:

1) If a publisher specifies that no simultaneous submissions are allowed, take that into consideration. Reading a manuscript for potential publication is an investment of time and, in some cases, money. Some publishers use volunteer readers for evaluation, some take on the job themselves, while others hire on readers to separate the wheat from the chaff. As such, some publishers may wish to preserve that investment with the knowledge that they have exclusive readership to a work they may wish to contract.

Having said this, an author may be tempted to submit elsewhere anyway, if only to hedge his/her bets. If one publisher passes while another accepts, no harm is done. However, if there is a possibility that two publishers want the work, and both publishers had asked for exclusive reads, there presents some problem. While this dilemma can be remedied by simply turning away the contract by Publisher A without explanation, you will run the risk of being found out when your book is released with Publisher B. Some publishers have long memories, and Publisher A may not be so accommodating should you submit something else to them.

2) If you make a simultaneous submission, alert the publisher. If a publisher does allow simultaneous submissions, an author should be courteous to let it be known if a manuscript is sent to more than one publisher. There may be a possibility a publisher will expedite your manuscript for review if there is the possibility another will claim it. If you are a quality writer with a track record for good sales, you may be placed in the enviable position of having some negotiation power.

3) If you accept a contract for a book still out with other publishers, notify the other publishers immediately! The last thing a publisher wants to do is waste time. One major aspect of the book business is production. Especially with the romance industry, books are released at a steady rate, and publisher does not want to invest time in reviewing a manuscript that is not attainable. This can work against an author who wishes to submit to a publisher at a later date (remember what I said about publishers having long memories).

Think carefully before considering simultaneous submissions. Weigh the consequences and be prepared for every scenario. Keep track of every publisher who has the manuscript and follow-up accordingly when deadlines have passed and when offers are made. As you heed the instructions of each publisher you contact, chances are you will make an impression regardless of whether or not you are contracted. This can bode well for your writing career in the future.

Secrets of Creating Instant Rapport with Anyone, Part 2 – The Magic of VAK

In Part 1, we looked at ways to mirror and match the actions of other people. This time, we will examine sense modalities and show how you can use them to create Instant Rapport.

Most of us are blessed with five senses, which we use to receive information from the world around us. Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), among other things, studies the relationship between language and brain function.

NLP has determined that some people are primarily visually oriented (V). Others are more auditory (A). And some are more in touch with their physical feelings and emotions, or what is termed kinesthetic (K). From this, we get the term VAK.

USING VAK

You can tell which sensory mode someone prefers to use by listening the words they say.

Visuals think in pictures and the language they use reflects that. They might say, “I see what you mean,”” I get the picture” or “That looks good to me.” In a sales presentation, a Visual prospect might say,” Show me what you’ve got.”

An Auditory might say, “That sounds good,” “I hear what you’re saying” or “That rings true.” During a staff meeting, an Auditory might say,” “Let me hear your idea.”

A Kinesthetic will “Want to get a handle on something,” “Try it on for size” or “Have a gut feeling.” If your are making a proposal to a Kinesthetic, he or she might say, “Lay it on me.”

The key then, to creating Instant Rapport with each of these types is to use language that they can understand and relate to. To do otherwise would be like going to Germany and refusing to speak German, even though you know the language.

If you say to an Auditory, “Do you see what I mean?” they won’t. But if you ask, “Do you hear what I’m saying?” they probably will. Not only that, they’re more likely to agree with you because you are speaking their language.

And when you speak their language, you create rapport.

VAK IN BUSINESS AND SALES.

In a sales situation, or any other time that you are trying to convince someone to do something, present your pitch or idea in a way that is most compatible with the way someone’s brain works.

Visual people want to see pictures of the product or, if possible, the product itself. They find graphs and charts more convincing than the words you say.

An Auditory will prefer to hear what you have to say and will note how you say it. Do you speak with an air of confidence and authority, or does your voice betray uncertainty, fear or deception?

A Kinesthetic will want to touch the product or hold the brochure or chart. Let them do this. If you need to point out something on the product or brochure, don’t take it away from them. Have a second one for yourself.

When using VAK, keep in mind that almost nobody uses any one sense modality to the exclusion of others. There is usually a mix. Also, the primary modality may change, depending on the situation. So always listen for the verbal cues to determine which sensory mode is dominant at the moment and adjust your language accordingly.

Even so, there is usually one sense in particular that someone prefers to the others. Once you discover what it is, and use that knowledge wisely, you have one more key to Instant Rapport.

And once you have rapport, getting what you want becomes that much easier.

Adapted from the new book “Power Persuasion:” Using Hypnotic Influence to Win in Life, Love and Business,” by David R. Barron and Danek S. Kaus

Copyright 2005 Danek Kaus

Exit mobile version